


ORAS Short Stories

by duckieforce



Category: Pocket Monsters: Ruby & Sapphire & Emerald | Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Emerald Versions
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Just not always, Multi, Player character usually of unspecified gender, content varies between chapters, there's a couple cameos probably too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-09
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2018-03-29 16:17:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 63
Words: 62,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3902722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duckieforce/pseuds/duckieforce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of short stories starring ORAS characters and inspired by project Diva F2nd songs (mostly). Specific scenarios, pairings and warnings vary by each chapter, although most (not quite all) stories are told from the PoV of one of the members of Team Aqua or Magma. Alternate universes abound. Now with updated tags showing the pairings featured so far (which will be added to each chapter).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Kagerou Daze (Aqua)

**Author's Note:**

> This entire work is probably the end result of staying up till 3AM too many weekends in a row playing project DIVA F2nd and Omega Ruby at the same time. 
> 
> Each chapter is inspired by a particular song from that game (although I have ideas right about now for a couple of vocaloid songs not in the game). Some of the stories link closely to the message of the song, some take small liberties, and others follow the theme only in spirit. 
> 
> Warnings vary by chapter as some songs are nice and others really aren't. It's also worth mentioning that a couple of the songs were based on the full source songs rather than the part source songs used for some DIVA songs (I'll specify where that is the case). Two songs were also additionally inspired by English Language covers of the songs in question.
> 
> The chapter titles are the names of the songs each chapter is based on, with the primary character/s after the song in brackets.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Almost certainly an AS universe. Shelly finds herself stuck in an endless and horrifying loop that she just can't seem to get herself (or the people she cares about) out of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Kagerou Daze  
> Characters- Team Aqua  
> Interactions- Could probably come off as platonic or romantic to be fair  
> Warnings- Major character death

It was August 15th, and the heat of the sun was getting unbearable. Shelly was about ready to jump into the ocean if not for the ice cream she was holding. Beside her, Archie and Matt talked idly about some subject she didn’t care enough about to pay attention to. Suddenly, the sound of rushing feet came to her ears. She looked up to find Matt running off into the road.

“Skitty!” He offered by way of explanation.  
“Matt!” Archie yelled, chasing after him. Shelly made to follow, but as she stepped forwards, she was cut off by a truck that sped past. There was a screech of tires, but the brakes were applied too late. Shelly looked ahead but saw no trace of either of her teammates- only a river of blood trickling back towards her.  
“Archie!” She screamed. “Matt!”  
No reply came, and Shelly’s legs gave out as the people around her ran about frantically, trying to figure out what had happened. She fell to the ground, unsure as to whether to scream or cry.  
“Archie… Matt…”

When she woke up, it was midnight on August 15th. Shelly hit the clock beside her, convinced it had to be broken. She’d just seen her friends die, hadn’t she? And that had been August 15th…  
“You alright Shelly?” Archie’s voice resounded around the room, and Shelly almost screamed before she realised the situation. She had been dreaming. It had to be.  
“Nightmare.” She sighed.  
“Wow. That kinda sucks.” Archie sympathised. “Anyway, get some rest.”  
As he walked off, she relaxed back against the pillows of her bed and took a deep breath.

The heat of the sun was unbearable as Shelly walked along that trodden path with Matt and Archie that day. The similarity to her dream unnerved her. Any minute she was sure she’d see that truck…  
She looked around, and there it was, coming towards them. Ahead of her, Matt was beginning to chase a Skitty, and Archie was about to follow him…  
She threw out a hand to stop her leader, jumped forwards and grabbed Matt by the shoulder, and pulled him back with all her strength. The man staggered back onto the path just before the truck passed by.

“Whoa…” Matt stared after the vehicle before turning to Shelly. “How’d you know?! It’s like you’re psychic or something today!”  
“It just looked dodgy, that’s all.” She insisted. She didn’t want anyone thinking she had psychic powers. She didn’t even believe psychic powers were real.  
“Well ya saved me.” Matt smiled. “Bro, tell her how great that was.”  
A piercing scream cut Archie off before he could speak. Shelly looked upwards and saw the scaffolding collapsing. It buried them all.

A passer-by pulled Shelly from the wreckage, droning on and on in a relived tone how lucky she was to be alive. As she picked herself up, she realised there was no sign of Archie or Matt. She fought the bystanders to get back to the pile of twisted metal, searching it frantically. Peering through a crack, she saw Archie reaching for her hand. As she tried to grab hold of his arm, it fell limp to the ground and he didn’t try to move again. Shelly screamed.  
When she came to it was midnight on August 15th again and she stared at the clock in alarm for a few seconds before yelling in frustration. What was happening to her?

The next time they went out, Shelly managed to push Matt and Archie away from the falling scaffolding. But as they continued down the street, both men marvelling at her reflexes, a sinkhole opened in the ground below them. Again, Shelly was pulled to safety by a civilian while Matt and Archie plummeted to their deaths.  
The day after, she’d convinced the two of them to stay home with her. Their base’s roof collapsed on them.  
The day after that, she’d taken them to the cliff by the lighthouse, away from any traffic or man-made structures to fall on them. Matt somehow fell into the sea and drowned.  
Every time she cried out for them, only to find herself staring at the clock once again. August 15th. It was always August 15th.

Over hundreds of iterations, she’d worked out how to get them through most of the day while keeping the three of them alive. But something always went wrong. It seemed whatever she thought of, she couldn’t win. It was after she’d watched Matt break through some railings and drag Archie down with him that she admitted she was cursed to watch them die over and over. It seemed there was only one thing she could do. One option left to try.

The next time, she didn’t try to stop Matt chasing the Skitty into the road. But when Archie moved to chase after him, she pulled him back by the collar and darted out into the street. She was close enough to Matt that her fingers grazed his shoulder as the truck hit her.

She’d been a second too late.

When Archie looked up from where he’d been pulled to the ground, he saw no sign of Shelly or Matt.  
He ran towards the scene of the crash, only to be greeted with a river of blood.  
“Matt! Shelly!” He yelled, racing forwards, trying to at least get a glimpse of them…

Archie opened his eyes and stared at the clock in his room. Midnight, August 15th.  
“Guess I failed again.” He sighed.


	2. Decorator (Aqua)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post Delta-episode, AS universe. Shelly reminds everyone that sometimes plans don’t work out and that’s not so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Decorator  
> Characters- Team Aqua  
> Interactions- Largely platonic   
> Warnings- Mood whiplash if you happen to have come here from chapter 1.

Shelly looked from Matt to Archie and back to Matt again while shaking her head. To think he’d gone and done all that… Still, she could see he was sorry. And in a way, she understood what Matt was feeling. He’d felt lost and confused over the breakup of their plans. When she thought about it, Archie had despaired at first too.

But she also remembered her words to him. That it didn’t matter, and that they would stay with him no matter what. That she’d stay by his side regardless. And after it was all over, she’d told him that even though awakening Kyogre hadn’t had the desired outcome, they could still reach their dreams anyway. It seemed Matt needed to hear the same words.  
“Archie… It looks like Matt feels sorry for what he’s done.” She pointed out, trying to start the conversation. And she watched as the two men reconciled, experienced the apology and counter-apology and the emotions flying around the room, and resisted the urge to smile. The two of them could be such dolts sometimes… But they were still her friends, no matter what.

“So what now?” Matt asked, after it was all over.  
“Well, it’s not like I can predict the future.” Shelly shrugged. “But does it matter? Even though our original plan didn’t work out, we can still try to make the world better for Pokémon in other ways. We make our own destiny. And right now, there are a lot of grunts out there that need to hear our words. Our voices guide them, so how about we stop being all emotional and start coming up with a new plan for our team?”  
“Right.” Archie nodded. “The crew need to know the direction we’re sailing in.”  
“Got it! What are we waiting for then?” Matt agreed, smiling for the first time all day.

Shelly smiled a little, glad that the others understood, and as they sat down to work on changing the course of their team, she felt optimistic about the future, and more relaxed than she’d been in ages. Matt and Archie both appeared just a little freed from the determined, hell-bent selves they’d been a few short days ago. And with the defeat of Kyogre first and the woman who had stolen their key stones second, the crisis finally appeared to be over.

Obviously starting over wasn’t going to be easy. Some of the grunts appeared dismayed at the suggestion of changing the entire team’s track. Others leapt at the chance to be doing good in another way. Some had been so horrified over the incident with Kyogre that any change in the team’s direction was a good one to them. But eventually, most of the grunts were brought on-board with the new plan (Archie’s charisma worked wonders a lot of the time).

Despite the team, there was the police to deal with. The police force in Hoenn was inept, but it was still something that existed, and trying to convince the authorities of their change of heart was even harder than convincing the grunts. It took the new Champion of Hoenn and an awful lot of explaining before the threat of arrest was finally lifted from them. Morale in the base picked up after that, as the entire team began to truly rally around Aqua’s change of heart.

Regardless of how hairy things became, Shelly tried to find a way around the problems they were facing. She was certain they could reach their goal, no matter how many times they had to change their tactics. That confidence and competence inspired Archie and Matt, and through them the rest of the team, and after only a few months, things were definitely improving. And that improvement brought inspiration, and the inspiration progress… And it wasn’t long before their dreams started to be realised. And when reports came in that the crisis might have actually done good by making the land more habitable for Pokémon… The smile that stretched across Archie’s face just made it all seem more worthwhile.

Over six months after the end of the Kyogre crisis, Shelly stood on the beach of the Battle Resort, kicking the sand idly. Archie had been battling all day, and she was about to go and drag him back to the base personally when he appeared, smiling softly.  
“Just because things are settling down doesn’t mean you can slack off you know.” She chided.   
“Yeah, I know. But you have to have some pleasures in life.” Archie brushed off her concerns.  
Shelly looked over the beach and noticed Matt bounding towards them. “Well, you can get back to work now then. Let’s go.” Matt reached them just as she turned back towards the settlement on the resort, wanting to walk towards the pier…

They came face to face with Team Magma.  
Immediately, Shelly tensed. She had no idea how to react to their old enemies’ presence. And if she was honest, she was a little worried that Matt or Archie would do something stupid. A glance over to Team Magma showed that they were equally uncomfortable with the situation. Archie walked forwards, and Shelly got ready to pull him away and run if there was any trouble.

But when her leader stared Maxie straight in the eyes and offered a hand towards him peacefully, Shelly dropped her guard quite a bit. And when Maxie shook the offered hand, stiffly and formally, it seemed as though their rehabilitation was complete.

And everything would be okay.


	3. Knife (Magma)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OR universe, some sort of possession AU. Nobody had expected this to happen to Maxie, but it had, and now Tabitha had no choice but to deal with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Knife  
> Characters- Team Magma  
> Interactions- Some kind of love triangle, although could easily be seen as platonic  
> Warnings- Major character death, mood whiplash if you came here from chapter 2
> 
> Knife was one of those songs that I found harder to truly understand. Reading around it I got something about a love triangle, friendship breaking down and people fighting (sometimes possession is mentioned), and then people dying. This is what I ended up coming up with for that.

Maxie hissed at them, and Tabitha took another step backwards, acutely aware of how close to the wall he was getting. Courtney grabbed his arm, largely hiding behind him. He could hear her struggling not to break down. It was hard to come to terms with. All they had wanted was to gain the power of Groudon in order to help people. They hadn’t even thought that the power of the orbs could do this to a man… And now their dreams had taken a severely perilous turn. Tabitha’s hands shook as he reached into his pocket for the switch-blade he had stored there. He didn’t want to be forced into this, but the man standing before them simply wasn’t Maxie anymore. Like their worst nightmare, they’d lost each other reaching for their dreams. And he wasn’t about to lose Courtney too over this.

“Boss? It’s us. We’re your friends. Remember?” He called out, trying to reach Maxie, trying to see if there was any trace of the man he respected left beneath the mask of the monster before him.  
“Die!” Came the growl in reply. Courtney burst into tears, and Tabitha resisted the urge to take another step backwards. Maxie really wasn’t there anymore. He swallowed thickly. If that was truly the case, he was left with no choice. He pointed his knife towards the creature in Maxie’s form.

The plan had truly gone wrong, and now he had no choice.

“I’m sorry.” He spoke to the creature before him. “This isn’t what I wanted. But I can’t let you kill anyone.”  
Courtney realised what he was trying to do.  
“Tabitha… Don’t!” She cried.  
“I can’t do anything else.” Tabitha rebutted.  
“But Leader Maxie… He’s still there somewhere…!” She insisted.

Tabitha shook his head and took a step forwards, away from Courtney. She tried to hold him back by the arm but gave up after only a second and fell to the ground, watching the scene before her with wide, terrified eyes. Tabitha had sympathy for her. He knew how much she idolised Maxie. She was clearly unable to accept the situation, and he supposed it wasn’t too much of a surprise. But he wasn’t about to let Courtney get killed because of her naivety. He took a run up and thrust his knife towards his possessed leader, keeping his morale with the constant reinforcing assurance to himself that this wasn’t Maxie. Not anymore.

Of course, whatever had taken over Maxie wasn’t about to die either, and responded with a claw to Tabitha’s face and a kick that sent him flying across the room and into the table on the other side, which broke upon impact. Tabitha rolled off and to the side, dropping his knife, and began searching frantically. His entire side stung, and he could see blood dripping onto the floor from his wound, but it hardly discouraged him. He knew this was a fight for survival. Maxie turned to face him and began walking forwards. Tabitha finally spotted his weapon, but as he reached for it Courtney caught his hand.

“Tabitha, please! …Leader Maxie…” She uttered, sobbing.  
“Courtney. Listen to me. That isn’t Maxie. It hasn’t been ever since he touched that orb.” Tabitha sighed. He tried to pick the knife up, but Courtney’s grip was firm and insistent.  
“No… I can’t… let you! You can’t… Don’t… Don’t kill him!” She screamed.  
“Courtney.” Tabitha pulled her awkwardly into a hug. “It’s going to be alright.” He leaned his face into her hair. He could still hear Maxie walking towards them at a slow, shuffling pace.  
“I can’t… I won’t…” She shook her head. “No…”  
“He’s going to kill us. We don’t have a choice.” Tabitha spelled out for her. “I’m sorry Courtney. I won’t let you die over this. You’re important to me too.” He tried to make his voice as soft and comforting as he could, but he was pretty certain he sounded strained. He pulled back an inch to stare at her sincerely. She still appeared unable to deal with the situation. He waited a moment but she didn’t speak again and he could hear Maxie’s footsteps right beside them. 

“Don’t worry.” He reassured, gripping the knife hard and wrenching his hand from her grip before lunging upwards at the body above him.  
He grazed the side of Maxie’s neck and saw the first sliver of blood trickle down, and began to think that things really would be okay somehow. But then he was caught by the neck and lifted into the air by a single, powerful hand and held. He couldn’t breathe. He could barely look down at the man trying to strangle him. But he didn’t let go of his grip on the knife, determined that he could somehow get another hit in. After all, even if he died, Courtney…

“Stop! Leader Maxie… Don’t.” She stammered, trying to rise to her feet, staggering and then stepping forwards as if to move herself between them.  
Maxie turned towards Courtney, and for a second even Tabitha was convinced he saw humanity back in those eyes. But then they turned hard and cold, and Maxie’s other hand flew up and raked across Tabitha’s chest, and he was thrown back across the room and against the wall there.

He couldn’t pretend he wasn’t in pain anymore. There was a searing burn spreading across his body, and when he pressed his hand to his chest for a moment it was covered in blood. Tabitha looked down at himself, noticed the extent of his injuries, and leaned back against the wall heavily, accepting fate.

“Tabitha!” Courtney panicked, running over and dropping to her knees beside him. “Why…?”  
“I’m sorry.” He coughed. Courtney’s eyes widened, and he assumed he was spitting up blood as well. “Don’t die…” She begged.  
“I can’t. It’s up to you now. I’m sorry to leave you like this.” He frowned, reaching out to pat her on the shoulder. “Run now. Promise me you’ll get out alive.”  
“I’ll save you.” She decided.  
“It’s too late for that.” He sighed. “I can’t…” He took in a shuddering breath and closed his eyes. He wasn’t afraid to die.  
Courtney screamed and reached for his hand. Tabitha gripped hers loosely. It was nice to be with your friends at the end…

“Tabitha…” Courtney bit back more tears, trying to shake him by the shoulder. “Tabitha!” She punched him hard in the arm but he didn’t even flinch.  
“No… No…” She broke down, sobbing on her knees on the floor while he lay slumped beside her, the knife in his possession having slipped from his fingers onto the floor. Maxie turned to face her and began shuffling forwards. She turned towards him slowly, mechanically. Without even thinking, her hand caught the knife. Because Tabitha was dead. Her friend was dead. And Maxie was… 

Courtney shut her eyes, trying as hard as she could to picture the three of them together, making their plans for a better world, sharing in the good times and the bad. She wanted them back. She wanted to go back…

Courtney screamed and lost control.

Minutes later, she came back to her senses, tears streaming down her face as the bloodied knife slipped with a clatter to the floor and the bodies of Tabitha and Maxie lay motionless on the other side of the room.


	4. Melt (authorityshipping)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OR universe. On a normal day in Lilycove City, socially inept dorks are socially inept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Melt  
> Characters- Courtney, Maxie  
> Interaction- Authorityshipping  
> Warnings- None  
> These two are honestly such awkward dorks...  
> So this is the first drabble to not have a whole team in it as such, and the first more explicitly shippy one. There'll be other pairings in other drabbles if this isn't so much everyone's thing (especially seeing as someone recently challenged me to do every pairing permutation...)  
> This drabble is heavily based off of the song and PV from Rockleetist's English version of the song, just fyi.

Courtney’s hand shook as she read the note over and over. By the lighthouse at one. They were supposed to meet by the lighthouse at one. She read those words over and over as if trying to sear them into her mind. The last thing she wanted was to mess up and wind up being late. 

She was still finding it hard to believe that Maxie had agreed to meet her at all. Okay, so technically their meeting was supposed to be about work, and she’d only convinced him that it would be better to get it done outside their base and in the fresh air of Lilycove. Considering that, she was again surprised that Tabitha wasn’t also tagging along. She suspected the man was helping her, if his insistence that somebody needed to stay and supervise the grunts was anything to go by. So in the end, it wasn’t really a date as such. That didn’t mean Courtney wouldn’t treat it like one.

It was almost certainly against the regulations of the team to be out of uniform as she was. Courtney still looked respectable in a lilac hoodie and pink pencil skirt (that was easily as long as her usual outfit), although she was clearly more casual than usual. As she turned to leave her room, she slipped a flower clip into her hair. She wondered idly to herself whether she could be considered cute.

She made sure to arrive at the meeting place early and sat on the bench that was alongside the lighthouse, staring out to sea. If she looked to the left, she was certain she’d be able to see the entrance to the base. It was a nice place to sit and wait in a way, but she had turned up just a little too early for her own good, and ended up making herself nervous by thinking about being alone with her leader.  
“I wasn’t aware it was casual Friday.” Maxie commented, leaning on the bench as he walked up to it.  
“I felt like it.” Courtney offered by way of explanation.  
“Well… It isn’t a mission. So it’s acceptable.” Maxie considered, moving to sit next to her on the bench. Courtney tried to look up at him and smile but then felt like that was a bad idea and stared at the ground instead.  
“Now then, should we get on with it?” The leader asked. Courtney wanted to complain that he worked too hard, but when she drifted her gaze up to Maxie and locked eyes with him words died on her lips and she nodded.

Only half an hour into their discussion, it clouded over and suddenly began to rain. Hard. Even though Courtney pulled her hood over her head she was still getting soaked.  
“We should seek shelter from this weather.” Maxie suggested, getting to his feet and pulling an umbrella out of his coat. Courtney nodded and stood, about to walk through the driving rain to the nearest building when she was suddenly covered. She felt Maxie get closer to her and quickly realised he’d set up the umbrella so it covered them both. She found herself blushing slightly at the increased contact, barely able to contain how happy she was at being this close to her leader. They walked on together at a brisk pace, Maxie trying to avoid noticing the stares of onlookers and Courtney barely even caring the whole time.

The closest building to where they were turned out to be the contest hall, and once they had ducked inside, Courtney began looking around at the decorations and portraits of winning Pokémon hung on the walls. It appeared as though a contest had just ended, as people were streaming out of the hall, chatting to themselves and gathering around the performer’s entrance in an attempt to get a view of the winning trainer and Pokémon. Courtney didn’t try to get close to them, instead leaning back against the wall.  
“Hopefully the rain doesn’t pour down for too long.” Maxie commented.   
“It’s unexpected.” Courtney added.  
“Regardless. It doesn’t look as though we’ll get any more work done. We should return to the base once it clears up enough.” Her leader advised.  
“Ah…” Courtney didn’t want to head back just yet- she was enjoying being alone with her leader. But she didn’t want to argue with Maxie and risk either making him mad or cluing him in about how she really felt. So she closed her mouth and nodded silently.

The crowds only got worse as the time wore on. Every time the sliding doors to the hall opened, the rain seemed to be worse. By the time the precipitation had ceased, the path to the exit was obscured by people, and Courtney wasn’t looking forwards to forcing her way through. As she steeled herself to walk onwards regardless, her wrist was caught and she was pulled through the crowd by Maxie.  
“It wouldn’t do to be separated.” He explained, dragging her from the area while Courtney tried not to let on how happy she was, although she was convinced her racing heart would give her away.

Maxie let go of her the second they were out in the clear, and for most of the rest of the way they walked in silence, Courtney largely lost in thought. A growing part of her wanted to find a way to make her leader understand how she was feeling, but for the most part she was aware of the likely consequences and too nervous to say anything.  
“We’ve returned now. Although… I do wonder whether everything is alright.” He mentioned, stopping entirely on the beach and turning to face her.  
Courtney heated up under Maxie’s gaze, staring straight ahead and struggling to find words.  
“If there’s something wrong, it would be detrimental to the team if you were to keep it bottled up for long.” Maxie insisted.   
“I… Well, I…” Courtney found herself talking without thinking. “I like you.”  
“Hm?” Maxie looked at her as though she was speaking the obvious. “Well, yes. You are one of my closest friends. I am fond of you.”  
“Wait, I…” Courtney’s heart sank. He’d completely misunderstood her. But then, she hadn’t meant to say it in the first place… So wasn’t it for the best? She could pretend it’d never happened… Still, the thought brought tears to her eyes. Her emotions were really going haywire.  
“Ah.” Her leader looked her over and appeared to realise something. Courtney stared at the sand, not wanting to hear whatever he was about to say. “That wasn’t what you meant.”  
She didn’t dare to look up, convinced he was going to shoot her down any minute.  
“Courtney. Don’t cry.” He reassured her, tilting her head up to regard him gently. He was shaking, and appeared to be turning completely red, and she didn’t understand what was happening.  
“Uh?” She bit her lip, trying to follow his words.  
“I… Have to admit that I’m not the most confident with these types of feelings.” He began. “However, I cannot pretend not to feel anything. I do… Accept your feelings.” He looked off to the side, clearly awkward.  
“I, uh…” Courtney still felt pretty emotional, and darted forwards before she could stop herself, throwing her arms around Maxie and leaning her head on his shoulder. He embraced her tenderly, trying to show his affection.


	5. Clockwork Clown (Courtney)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tabitha couldn't understand why Courtney didn't just give up. But in the end, it was something she simply couldn't do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Clockwork Clown (Karakuri Pierrot)  
> Characters- Maxie and Courtney. Tabitha gets a cameo.  
> Interactions- Courtney -> Maxie  
> Warnings- An unhealthy level of devotion.
> 
> So this is some sort of alternate universe of melt where Maxie figures out Courtney has no intention of talking about work and so avoids her. Either he knows she has feelings for him and doesn’t return them, or else she comes on too strongly and scares him off. Or maybe he just has no idea how to react to her affection so deals with it in the only way he knows how- ignoring it entirely. Either way, this results.
> 
> This is another song based on the full version (and even so, it's really short). I also listened to Ashestoashesjc's English version while writing this.  
> (Also, this chapter is a little late. I was on a train most of Friday)

It had been two hours. In fact, it had been a little over two hours since they’d arranged to meet. Courtney watched the waves ripple over the sea while she waited patiently. After all, it would be rude to just disappear and head back to the base. Even if he really wasn’t going to show up. And besides everything, she wanted to really prove her loyalty…  
People noticed her, sitting out on the point by herself. She could see them pointing and muttering to themselves. At times, she was certain even the sky had something to say to her, the way it sent wave after wave of clouds in her direction.

After too many hours to count, it got dark, and she finally rose from the bench, deciding to return before anyone questioned where she was. As she trudged back, a voice in the back of her mind that sounded suspiciously like Maxie laughed at her. At her foolishness. At her hope. And she wondered whether this was all some sort of game.

When she thought things over later in her room, Courtney began to wonder whether she was better off accepting reality. The longer things went on like this, the more it seemed as though she was being led on. But it was too unbearable to think of. She couldn’t deal with the concept of being played around with. The idea that Maxie thought of her as a mere tool, or even as a toy… It made her more scared than she wanted to admit, and she curled into herself and stared at the wall. She couldn’t begin to face that thought. It shook her too deeply to even try. If she were to accept the truth, she wasn’t sure how she’d carry on…

“I’m sorry it turned out this way.” Tabitha sympathised with her the next morning. “But with the greatest of respect, don’t you think that this is enough now?”  
“What… Are you talking about? …I don’t know what you mean.” Courtney tried to pretend she knew nothing of the subject.  
“I’m serious Courtney. As a friend… Please stop this before you hurt yourself. I know we’d both follow Leader Maxie to the ends of this world but… That doesn’t mean you have to devote everything in your life to him. Especially not if he reacts to it all by ignoring it. By ignoring the way you feel.” He insisted, folding his arms as though he was her older brother.  
“I’m fine.” She replied curtly, trying to end the conversation.

“Good morning. You seem to be in the midst of an intense discussion.” Maxie commented, walking towards his subordinates.  
“Good morning Leader Maxie. We were… Talking about work. That’s all.” Courtney greeted, lying brazenly and yet fully aware that Tabitha wouldn’t call her out on it.  
“How admirable. Do not feel as though you have to think about work matters all of the time though. Forming strong co-worker relationships is important as well.” Maxie instructed, smiling a little.  
Courtney instantly felt recovered when she noticed his reaction. While he continued to look at her like that, she saw no reason to ever give up. And based on the warning glare Tabitha sent her way, he had noticed as well.  
“Admirable…” She repeated quietly to herself.

Courtney sat at her computer later that day and considered what Tabitha had told her. She knew that he meant well. And that really, she should follow his advice. After all, this incident was probably her best chance at finally moving on. And her friend had her best interests at heart…

She got up and walked over to the mirror in the room, staring into it intently. Besides, how long would she last? How long would it take to be burnt out by all of this?

She sighed, finding the line of thought to be yet again terrifying. How would she even begin to distance herself from Maxie? From everything she’d come to rely on the last few years? Courtney knew she would be unable to handle it. It was just too large a task for her to contemplate. Yet at the same time, she was being held back by her own feelings. And if he kept on treating her in this way, she knew that eventually things would blow up in their faces. And he’d end up doing something that would break her spirit entirely.  
But did that matter? That it seemed as though she was acting the fool? After all, Courtney knew she’d never stop loving him regardless of whether or not he ever reciprocated those feelings. And she’d be denying that love if she gave him any less than her best.

“Leader~. Anything in particular… For us to do?” She asked the next morning, staring sweetly at Maxie as if two days ago had never happened. Tabitha stared at her as if she was insane. But Courtney still wore her brightest smile.


	6. Dawn of a Rival (Hardenshipping?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Omega Ruby universe. As Maxie's goals draw closer to being realised, Archie remembers the better times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Dawn of a Rival  
> Characters- Archie and Maxie (Courtney and Tabitha cameo briefly)  
> Interactions- Heavily implied past Hardenshipping and the general feeling neither is quite over it  
> Warnings- None really

_“Well, how about this? Great plan or what?” The young man pressed, looking towards his friend._

_“Really? Is that all you’ve got? You’ll have to do better than that.” His partner scoffed. “After all, I can’t work with somebody who doesn’t have a coherent plan.”_

_“Of course I can do better!” Archie smirked. “Besides, where would you ever find a better rival than me?”_

 

Archie reached Mt Chimney and stared up at the group of Team Magma grunts blocking easy access to their leader. The two of them had been competing like this for a while, but Maxie had beaten him to the meteorite, and Archie knew his rival now had the advantage. It was all Archie could manage to track his rival down and attempt to stop him, and he had succeeded only due to how well he knew Maxie due to their relationship going back years. As he tried to barge his way through the grunts to reach the man himself, Archie looked over to the mysterious machine balanced over the volcano and noticed Maxie smirk at him. He seethed internally. There was no way he’d ever let that weedy scientist get the better of him.

 

_“Are you serious? Destroy human settlements for the sake of measly Pokémon? As if I could ever get behind that!” Maxie fumed._

_“Don’t act like your Pokémon are nothing more than tools! They’re our friends! They deserve to live! I’ll never join forces with you!” Archie shot back._

_“Well then… How about this? We’ll just have to compete to see who can make his goal the reality.” Maxie proposed, sliding his glasses up his nose with one hand as he spoke._

_“Heh. Deal. Like I’d lose to you.” Archie grinned._

 

Despite his best efforts, Maxie still escaped from Mt Chimney without Archie getting close to him. Worse, leaving the meteorite behind made it clear to Archie that his rival had discovered the position of the real orbs. It was something Team Aqua was still months off of figuring out.  As much as he hated it, Archie had to concede another point.

“Max…” He thought out loud. “I wonder if you even remember… That time when we were part of the same crew.”

Maxie reached the top of Mt Pyre and stared out at the view of Hoenn that stretched in front of him. After years of planning and striving he had finally reached this point, mere minutes away from gaining the means by which his lifelong goal could be achieved. Even at such a time, for some reason the voice of that man was present in his head.

“Why hesitate? You’re not the type to be so lily-livered over this!” The taunt appeared from nowhere, and Maxie actually looked around to check Archie hadn’t followed them somehow. But there was not a sign of Team Aqua anywhere.

“Fine.” He muttered, stepping up to the dais at the very peak and grabbing the Red Orb. Courtney looked towards him slightly confusedly, but shrugged it off quickly. Maxie stared at the orb in his hands. It was finally time.

 

_“This isn’t how it was supposed to go. We were supposed to stay together forever.” Archie gritted his teeth, looking up at his rival._

_“Don’t be such a child. Forever doesn’t exist. And with our goals as separate as they are, did you honestly not expect this?” Maxie scoffed._

_“I… Didn’t want our goals to come between us. Not like this. There’s a difference between competition and hatred!” Archie asserted, reaching his hand out towards the other man._

_“Wake up. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Maxie brushed him off, turning away._

 

Archie approached his rival as he stood at the back of the Seafloor Cavern, trying to stop him by any means necessary. As he reached the other man he announced his presence.

“Come on Max, is that really all you’ve got?” He jeered, stepping further forwards. “You’re really slipping if you let me get this close.”

“Says the one who’s miles away from realising his plans.” Maxie retorted.

“Heh, we’ll see which one of us is closest once I beat you.” Aqua’s leader declared, preparing to fight.

“I won’t lose.” Maxie insisted.

As they clashed, Archie found himself on the back foot despite his type advantage, and was taken aback.

“How naïve of me. Guess I should have seen this earlier.” Archie shook his head.

“Oh? Is someone admitting defeat at last?” Maxie gloated.

“Blast it all… I shouldn’t even have expected this to last. We were never going to stay at the same level forever.” Archie accepted.

“So you admit I’m finally better than you?” Maxie insisted.

“I’ll admit you’re further ahead than me. You’re practically on the horizon now in relation to me. I don’t think I can catch up even if I go full speed ahead from now.” Archie sighed.

“So you underestimated me, is that what you’re saying?” Maxie assumed, getting closer and closer to total victory.

“Guess I did.” Archie stepped back. This was not good.

“That’s too bad.” Maxie shrugged, stepping up and defeating Archie’s final Pokémon. “Because you were right. You were the best rival… I could ever have.”

“Maxie…” There was nothing Archie could do. He couldn’t prevent Maxie from awaking that Pokémon. He was so close and so determined that even defeat at the hands of that child did nothing to dissuade him. Not even his own second in command was able to change his mind. As Maxie stood in front of the sleeping Groudon and raised the Red Orb in summoning, Archie was left reflecting on their rivalry. On their friendship. On everything he’d lost.

“It’s not like I’d feel any differently.” He whispered to himself.


	7. Erase or Zero (Archie+ Shelly)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AS universe. Even as they drifted apart, Shelly knew she would continue to support him no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Erase or Zero  
> Characters- Archie and Shelly. The main character and Maxie are kinda in the background  
> Interactions- Intended as some nice, platonic, supportive stuff between Shelly and Archie. Someone out there might want to see it as romantic, and that's alright too.  
> Warnings- Starts off kinda angsty and sad. It gets better.

They had set out on this goal together. They had both been there, they had both been with that Pokémon. And she knew how much it mattered to him and his desire to change this world. But somewhere along the way, Archie’s determination had eroded his morals. And now he continued onwards, doggedly pursuing his goal, regardless of the consequences. Shelly hadn’t been sure how much of the reality Archie knew. But she was certain he rejected whatever truth he had found along the way. She wondered if the past even mattered anymore, whether their friendship even mattered. The fire in Archie’s eyes still burned with passion as it always had, but now it had somehow become a twisted version of itself.

When she had first realised the extent of that which was to happen, as she had stared down at the files in the Weather Institute in despair, she had been unsure as to what to do. But despite her own doubts, she stayed with Archie regardless. She carried on with her mission, helping him to carry out the last details of his plan, even though he seemed oblivious to the likely outcome. The one time she had tried to talk to him about it, he had brushed her concerns off, telling her the time for talking and thinking had already passed them by. It was clear that he wouldn’t stop-couldn’t make himself stop, in fact, now too close to his goal to worry about such things.

She tried to work out when this change of heart had happened. When had they become so focused on awakening Kyogre that everything else had been forgotten? She realised that he had been getting progressively more and more focused on that end ever since she had returned from Devon with the technology that had made their plans more than fantasy, but as to where he had crossed the line, she couldn’t fathom an answer.

She continued to stay by her Leader’s side despite everything, hoping and praying that things wouldn’t be as bad as she had feared. She didn’t try to speak to him about her concerns again, not even sure of what she could say if she tried. But in the end, she bottled out when they were finally in the Seafloor Cavern and Kyogre’s awakening seemed a certainty. All she had learned and considered fell on her heavily, and before she could react she was running through the cave, barging grunts aside as she fought to get to Archie before it was all too late.

“Archie!” She shouted, finally reaching the back of the cave and making her way up to her leader. “That’s enough!”

She tried to explain. Tried to make him see the truth of what he was trying to accomplish. She had suspected he was already pretty set in his ways- she knew him well after all- but above everything, she had hoped that their friendship and the trust between them would be enough to overcome all that. That she if nobody else could make him see.  
But he pushed her aside, acting as though she were the one who had betrayed him. A part of her had been afraid that he wouldn’t listen to her, but to hear him say those words… She had never expected that things between them could have gotten so strained. She stepped back, left to watch hopelessly as Archie awakened the ancient Pokémon. And as it all happened, that child stood there, caught right in the line of fire… She felt like a coward for standing so far back.

The beast, newly awakened, took off to the surface, and Shelly rushed forwards again, trying to come to terms with what had happened. When she heard Archie arguing with the grunts outside, she stepped even closer, asking warily what had happened. Eventually, he confirmed her worst fears- that things were just as bad as the Weather Institute data had predicted.

As she stood there, trying to come up with the best course of action despite the situation, only one real thing remained clear.  
“I knew it…” She began, already knowing what she had to do. “We just need to get out of here! Standing around complaining isn't going to solve anything!” She replied positively, looking towards Archie supportively. She kept a rather stern look, not wanting to make it seem like she was letting him off the hook, but wanting to stay by his side regardless.  
Archie was a broken man as he returned to the surface and took in the full horror of what he’d done. All he seemed able to do was mutter about how this wasn’t what he wanted. 

The dreams the two of them had shared were in pieces on the floor, and he was clearly unable to deal with it. Shelly felt for him, but she knew they had to deal with the situation like adults. She therefore guided him along, doing most of the speaking as they moved to Sootopolis, stood outside the Cave of Origin, and waited as that child journeyed on to face Kyogre. While Archie stood, frozen still with his uncertainty, Shelly struggled with finding the right things to say. She monitored things scientifically as the situation within the Cave of Origin developed, hoping that at least news of progress would help. And indeed, Archie did regain some of his usual demeanour as the child found Kyogre, instructing the young Trainer to follow it deep into the core of the region.  
From there, it was only a matter of waiting.

Shelly saw the fear develop in her leader’s eyes as time wore on with no news and tracked its development into self-hatred. She tried to reach out to him, wanted to stand by his side, but her body wouldn’t move and she remained still as Archie took to deep thinking.  
When the green light shot upwards and dispelled the driving rain, she allowed herself to feel hope once more. Archie stared at that same light, and some shred of epiphany found its way to his face.

When that hero emerged from the Cave of Origin, both Archie and Maxie took to philosophising, and Shelly couldn’t help but feel it didn’t suit her leader at all. But there was still the fact that he was right, even as he spoke of the hurt he had caused to others. The words she had wanted to say all along came to her.  
"That's right. You caused a big fuss there when you almost brought about the downfall of the world, you big dolt! No matter how much you beg, no one can forgive that!" She started, letting out her frustration before she softened her tone.  
"But… Do you really need their forgiveness, though? Even if you are a big dolt who no one in the world will ever forgive…" She took a breath before she spoke again, already knowing what she was going to say.  
"I'll… I'll stay with you! I'll stay with you forever! So please… Stop going out on your own and acting crazy. You're…our… Team Aqua's leader, and we're your friends, after all." She fell silent after that, her feelings finally out in the air. Archie waited for a moment before he replied.  
"Shelly… Sorry…and thanks."


	8. (Paired) Wintry Winds (Magma)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OR universe, slightly before the start of the story. With their mission about to begin in earnest, Courtney and Tabitha reflect on their plans, and on their leader.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- (Paired) Wintry Winds  
> Characters-Courtney and Tabitha. Maxie gets mentioned a lot  
> Interactions- Magma being all supportive of each other and trusting and loyal.  
> Warnings-None
> 
> This is the shortest one so far I think? The song's quite slow so there's not as many lyrics to write about really.  
> The part about their pasts is from a headcanon I have where Courtney and Tabitha met Maxie when they were in school and he was a university student who was helping out in their class for extra credit/money/etc.
> 
> This song was a request by my friend Amy (sketchygryphon on tumblr). I think she also requested clockwork clown and possibly erase or zero if I remember correctly.

The wind kicked the dried fallen leaves into the air and dragged them around. Courtney watched their barren dance as Tabitha surveyed the area in readiness for their operation tomorrow. He had been tasked with assessing the layout of the area. She had been tasked with watching for onlookers- the last thing they wanted to do was make anyone suspicious as to what they were doing out in the middle of a forest. Yet nobody was around. And Courtney felt confident. After months of work and planning, their goals were finally within reach. Everything would be worth it soon enough, and the world their leader dreamed of would come to exist.

It had been years since the pair had first met Maxie. At the time, they had still been in school, and he had been an impassioned student, someone who had taken the two of them under his wing and enriched their understanding of the world. He’d debated issues with them and pushed them to make more of themselves. He’d even taught them about caring for Pokémon, and how to make an impression on people. His words had stuck with her for a long time. Courtney had been about to graduate college herself when Maxie had approached her about his vision. Somehow, Tabitha was already on-board by that point. So Tabitha had gone to Devon, and she had worked on ideology with Maxie. Once the third of their group had returned, their planning began in earnest.

And now, months down the line, their plans were almost at an end. There was no longer any time to mull it over. The end was too close. The time for thinking was past.  
She trusted Maxie. They both did. Over the years, a deep respect and friendship had formed between the three of them. They had spent a lot of time discussing their movement; its goals, its plans, and how to make it all a reality. She was sure everything was in place. She knew they had considered almost everything. And because of that, she had no reason to feel apprehensive. She was confident. She was ready.

Dry autumn leaves caught in Tabitha’s hair as he turned away from the scenery. His task was almost complete, and that meant that their plan would soon be put into motion. He was now fully focused on their goal. The cold chill that the wind carried meant nothing. There wasn’t any time to get caught up in such simple matters. Not when there was still work to be done.

He knew all about what his leader planned and what he was trying to do. He admired him for sticking so resolutely to one path, and for putting the best interests of the whole of humanity at heart. He believed sincerely that they were going to succeed in making their world a better place. Despite this, he knew that caution was necessary, and he wondered over the exact plans his leader had in mind. On their present course, a slip up could be fatal. But he was determined not to let that happen, and he was sure Maxie felt the same.  
That said, he was determined to support Maxie as they continued towards their future. He would serve at the man’s side and guide him as their vision unfolded. Maxie deserved that much at least. Tabitha knew that Courtney felt the same devotion. It was clearly evident in the way they all treated each other, and in the trust they had all placed in the team. It was, at times, as though the three of them stood against the rest of the world. Not that he had any issue with that. He wouldn’t want to be walking down the road they were on with any two other people.

Between the three of them, they’d thought of everything. They believed in each other and their mission. Everything was accounted for. It was time for action. He started walking back towards where Courtney was waiting still.

“Are you ready to leave yet?” He asked Courtney, turning fully towards her. She was already looking in his direction.  
“Ready.” She affirmed.

As the two of them began their walk back towards the base, the leaves picked up again and swirled around them, forming a collage of red against the background of the treeline.  
“How do you feel about the mission tomorrow?” Tabitha asked, wanting to make sure everything was prepared. “Are you confident? Or do you have any concerns…?”  
“I’m confident.” Courtney assured him. “Always. There is nothing… To fear.”

The swirling dance of the leaves around them seemed to agree with the pair as they carried on their journey back to the base. Tabitha smiled.  
“Just what I wanted to hear.”


	9. Soundless Voice(Sailorshipping)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AS universe. The driving rain and rising flood hadn't been what they had wanted. Matt is left alone to deal with the consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Soundless Voice  
> Characters- Matt. Archie and Shelly are mentioned and Steven and a random Aqua grunt cameo.  
> Interactions- sailorshipping, stated but also really sad due to events.  
> Warnings- Major character death (Quite a bit of it)
> 
> It’s not snow, but I don’t think it really ever snows in Hoenn. So it’s raining. A lot.

Night had fallen, and still the terrifying storm hadn’t let up. Despite this, the scene was eerily quiet. Matt stared out at Lilycove harbour and watched the water level rise higher and higher. The grunts were getting panicked, and there had still been no word from Archie. He assumed Kyogre was awake. But he knew nothing else.   
He raised his hand and watched the rain run off in a steady stream. Had Archie been here, he would have been proud, Matt was sure. Now if only he knew where his bro was…

“Um, there’s someone here.” One of the female grunts approached him, face and voice unsure. “He says he needs to speak to you. He says it’s urgent.”  
“Oh? Well, I’ll just see what he wants.” The Admin shrugged her attitude off, turning towards the direction she gestured to see Steven Stone standing a few feet away, looking decidedly grim.  
“Oho? You’re that pretty boy everyone’s always talking about huh?” He reacted, staying as laid back as ever.  
“Are you…” Steven swallowed before he spoke again. “Are you aware of what’s happened?”  
“Duh! My bro awakened that ancient Pokémon and it’s raising the sea level with its power.” Matt shrugged. “It’s all cool. My bro Archie warned us all that the coast might get flooded out. If we have to evacuate, hey, we’re ready.”  
“…Kyogre is more powerful than anyone imagined.” Steven explained. “And for whatever reason, it underwent Primal Reversion immediately. The people down there, in the Seafloor Cavern… They were swamped with water before they could escape. Not a soul escaped from that place alive.” He looked up at Matt, wearing a pained expression. “They all drowned.”  
“Huh?” Matt stepped backwards, bravado falling away.  
“I know that a large number of your Team’s members were down there.” The man continued. “Don’t wait for word from them. Just take the rest of your people and escape while you can. I need to find a solution.” As he spoke, he brought out a glittering item that Matt recognised instantly as the anchor Archie set his Key Stone in, and handed it over (clearly, Steven recognised it as well).

As Matt handled the object in shock, Steven walked away, face impassive as he tried to think of a solution to the crisis. The grunt from before walked back over to Matt and gasped when she saw what he held.  
“W-What do we do?!” She panicked.  
“Run.” Matt told her. “Take all the little guys. Everything you can get your hands on. Just… Go.” He turned away from her, trying not to show how badly his heart ached.  
“What about you?” The grunt asked.  
“I’ll… Keep an eye out for Kyogre. I’ll wrestle that beast myself if I have to.” Matt decided. As the grunt nodded her affirmative and ran back towards the base, Matt trudged onto the beach. 

He wondered whether Archie would be proud of the way he was handling the grunts. He wondered whether the man would be worried about the deflated tone in his voice. Then he realised it didn’t matter either way. Archie couldn’t hear him anyway. And it was worse than even that. Shelly had been down there too. How were things supposed to carry on without either of them?

He wished for things to be different, for the two of them to appear beside him with the stories of their fortunate escape. As that dream faded from his mind, he ended up only hoping that they hadn’t been in pain or anguish. It wasn’t a thought he enjoyed.  
“Archie… Bro. Don’t let it end like this. The ties that bind us… Don’t let that be for nothing.”

Matt looked at the sea but got no response. He knew not to hope, but he wished to hear his Leader’s voice again, even just the once.  
“Bro… I love you. You’re just… Irreplaceable.” Matt sighed, looking up at the sky. But Archie wasn’t coming back. Shelly wasn’t coming back. It didn’t matter what he did. Even screaming out for them wouldn’t change that fact. 

This was what had become of their plans. Rather than everything finish with the world returned to a more natural state, with people relocated to more mountainous areas and the pollution caused by humanity’s excess erased, the world was instead going to end, and everyone was going to die. This wasn’t what Matt had wanted. It wasn’t what Archie or Shelly had wanted either. And he definitely had never wanted either to perish as a part of their mission.  
When the grief truly set in, it came in the form of anger rather than sadness.

Matt charged into the sea, barely noticing as the water flowed quickly up to his waist. He would find that Pokémon. And he would make it pay.  
“You hear me, you punk? No way will you get away with taking my bro from me! Not while I breathe! I’ll take you down or I’ll die trying, damn punk!” He yelled at the waves.   
The sea was vast, but somehow, Matt got lucky. Kyogre surfaced only a few hundred metres away from him as he spoke. The sight of the giant and deadly sea monster did nothing to deter the man as he charged onwards towards his foe. Kyogre roared. Matt roared back at it.

Despite the storm still raging, that night was eerily quiet. Only once was the twisted tranquillity interrupted as a large splash heralded the sinking body of a man who wouldn’t see the surface again.


	10. Meteor (Jirachi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 20 years pre-ORAS. A once in a millennium event occurs, leading to a fateful encounter with a certain legendary Pokemon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Meteor  
> Characters-Jirachi, Archie and Shelly. Maxie sort of cameos.  
> Interactions- None really  
> Warnings- None 
> 
> So apparently in the Aqua base there's an old photo suggesting Shelly and Archie met Jirachi before the start of the game? I think the actual timescale was implied to be 12 years, but I played around with it a bit.
> 
> This one's something completely different POV wise. My other friend (Valeriua on tumblr) asked me to write a song from the POV of a Pokemon. She also (separately) requested this song, along with Decorator if I remember correctly.

It was midnight. It wasn’t sure how it knew the time, but it was pretty sure in its conviction. The sounds of gathering people came to its ears. Yes, people were gathering on the beach. But why?

1000 years. It had already been 1000 years. And somehow, the people knew it. There was almost a jubilant atmosphere as they gathered. Some sang, some passed out souvenirs. Others simply stared at the sky and waited. Silent wishes were in the minds of everyone.

It could hear the wishes sent up towards it as it continued to sleep. It could feel the wind as it gently stirred the tags on its head. It was midnight. The stars stretched out in the sky. It was time.

Gradually, its eyes cracked open, and Jirachi was awake again.

Slowly, it began to move, waving its arms a little before floating up into the sky and preparing to fly over to the people gathered below. After all, it didn’t have much time within this world. The lights shining on the gathered humans was almost dazzling, and the clouds up above spread out like ripples. It was a truly beautiful scene, and made the Pokémon happy to be awake at last. As it began to fly upwards and over the beach, Pokémon scuffled to get out of its path.

Down below, people fell to their knees and grabbed onto each other as they took in the sight of that Pokémon. Children became excited and turned to their parents who were every bit as mystified. Others began yelling their wishes up at the sky. Still more were snapping pictures at quite a rate, knowing they would probably never see such a scene again.

At the water’s edge, two children who had snuck away from their parents stared up at the sky, at that Pokémon, and were struck completely with awe.

Jirachi looked down at the gathered masses and smiled. Even if they could be cruel sometimes, it still loved the people. It remembered all the scenes that had come before, all of the people who always came to greet it when it awakened, millennium after millennium. It was something that made Jirachi glad to be able to grant wishes.

As it flew onwards over the town, a meteor shower began to fall. Even the scene before them and Jirachi’s mere presence moved some to tears, and caused profound change in others. Old enemies embraced for the first time in decades and estranged family saw sense to speak to each other again. Down on the beach, the two children wondered over what to wish for.

Up on the wall of the town, a red headed teen stared up at the meteor shower as he leaned haphazardly against the brickwork and considered his own future. The people down below that showed so much promise and were now so elated… He wanted hope to come to the hearts of those people more than just once every thousand years.  
As Jirachi set about granting the wishes of the people, the rate of the falling showers of meteors sped up, and the people watched on amazed.  
“Don’t you think… We should be making this world better for Pokémon? After all they do for us… After all this… They deserve something like that.” The boy on the shoreline asked, turning to the girl next to him.  
“To protect the Pokémon that grants wishes…” She considered.

The reflection of the lights in the human town on the water created a contrast of colour with the glow emitted from Jirachi as it continued to fly over the town. As the people rejoiced, Jirachi focused, wanting to make everyone happy. For only a moment, that desire blocked out all else, before it became aware of the beauty around it once more. As it stared down at the people, it felt the radiation of their happiness and determination to fulfil their dreams. It made Jirachi feel as though its power was important to the world.  
The natural spectacle went on for hours until eventually, dawn approached. Jirachi flew away from the town and towards a wooded area nearby, where it landed in order to regroup its feelings. It would soon need to travel on to somewhere else if it wanted to fulfil as many wishes as possible before its seven days were up.

“Are you sure this is the way you saw it flying? Because I don’t see anything unusual around here…” A girl’s voice came to Jirachi’s ears and it perked up, wondering who could be walking in a forest at such a time of the night.  
“Yeah, it was definitely this way. Just trust me on this Shelly.” A second voice insisted. There was a rustling of the bushes shortly after this, and two children tumbled out into the clearing. Jirachi looked towards them curiously before recognising them as two of the humans who had been on the beach. It sensed the goodness in their hearts and instantly felt more at ease. Meanwhile, the children were in awe of the Pokémon.

“Jirachi…” The boy whispered, before jumping into the air in excitement. “We found Jirachi!”  
“Don’t shout too loud Archie. You don’t want to scare it off.” The girl advised cooly.  
Jirachi looked from the ecstatic boy to the girl holding the camera and felt reassured for the state of the future world.

After all, many dreams were made that day.


	11. Spica (Commandershipping)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OR universe. Regardless of what happened, she would have no regrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Spica  
> Characters- Mostly Shelly. Tabitha is sort of in the background.  
> Interactions- Commandershipping (definitely on Shelly's side, whether it's requited or not is ambiguous)  
> Warnings- None
> 
> This pairing literally has so much RSE stuff and a real drought of ORAS stuff.  
> I totally have this headcanon that regardless of which game is being played, both of the former devon employees were still in devon at the same time.

It had started six months ago.

Night had fallen and left them both in the office. It was always the two of them there. They both stayed later than anyone else, working away. He worked harder than anyone she knew. She hadn’t known then that he’d had an ulterior motive, just like her.  
Minds clearly drifting, they’d taken a break from work and begun to count the stars as they emerged. She was surprised stars were even visible among the light pollution of Rustboro. Pollution. Just another reason why they had to hurry up with their plans.  
“That’s Spica over there, isn’t it?” He’d commented, pointing at a random star in the sky. One of the only stars visible in the sky.  
“Not sure.” She mumbled. “I don’t know much about stars. But it is pretty.”

So it had been stupid. Like a lapse of her collected thoughts. But when she looked at the starry sky that night and uttered those three words…  
He’d only continued to stare out of the window, acting as though it had never happened.  
She’d been glad for the lack of awkwardness, at the time. But she soon wished that there had at least been an answer, whatever that had been. So she tried again. And again it was as if she had said nothing. It was truly frustrating to her.

She did, in a way, understand why. Whatever his answer, it would have complicated matters with work. Because they worked practically next to each other all day. And considering that she had no plans to stay in Devon for any length of time… Things really were better off as they were. It was enough that they worked together, accomplishing more and remaining in the office later than anyone else. It was enough that they respected each other. It was enough that she knew him, inside and out. In another time, a world where she could have stayed, she would have considered him a friend.  
Yet still, as she prepared to leave Devon once and for all, she found herself regretting it all.  
If she was leaving, didn’t he at least owe her the courtesy of an answer?  
It was with that mindset that she went to say goodbye. Only to find that he had already left.

She neither saw nor heard anything of him for three months. It was through her leader that she eventually found out what had happened to him. He’d mentioned something about Team Magma, and suddenly she heard his name. She’d never stopped to consider that they had spies as well.   
Somehow it made everything better and worse at once.

A month ago, she’d heard of just how far their rivals had advanced, and had to avoid laughing in front of the rest of the team. Running ahead of her. It was so much like him.   
She still found herself left waiting for the answer. She took to working harder and faster to advance her own plans. She couldn’t just let him win, not after everything. And so days passed, and she saw her own future unfolding. 

And then she saw him. Or at least, she thought she did.

Milling around on Route 119, she’d come across the aftermath of the Weather Institute incident. And as she’d stepped closer, he had run past her. He didn’t acknowledge her. And she’d recognised him too late.

A few more days passed, and news of Magma’s progress filtered through. She tried to seem impassive, but in reality she was taking it all in with great interest. She wanted to find him. She still wanted that answer. And despite everything, she still thought of him as her friend.

One afternoon, the sunlight grew intensely bright. She’d been radioed and told to start evacuating people to safety. The entire of the team had gotten involved, and as she’d stood and looked up at the sky, she found herself mouthing his name.  
“I wonder if he knew…” She whispered to herself. Nobody had heard.  
And she knew by then that nobody ever would. However many times she tried to say it, he’d never respond. Something foolish and petty like love… She wondered if he even responded to it. He’d never understand. Because it would never even reach him.

“If we hadn’t even met…” She thought out loud, before stopping herself. If they hadn’t met, they would never have become friends. They would never have spent all that time together. She would have never met someone who she had come to respect so highly. It was wrong to curse the time they had had.

When her leader returned and the sunlight dissipated she went with them, back to the base, and wondered over whether she’d even see him again, and what they’d say if they did find each other. When she thought of it, she realised the way she’d come to feel. Whichever way things went, she would be alright with it.

That day, six months after the fact, she stood on the beach of the Battle Resort, waiting for her leader to return from his challenge. Day had already turned to night, and the sky stretched out in a panorama around her. As she scanned the sky, she caught sight of a single shooting star. She found herself being filled with hope, despite everything that had happened. The world would be alright now. She would be alright now.

“That’s Spica over there, isn’t it?” A voice came from behind her suddenly. She turned around suddenly, knowing that tone. Sure enough, he stood off to the side, looking over to her knowingly while pointing at a bright star in the sky.  
“Is it? I can’t tell. It looks nothing like it did in Rustboro.” She huffed.  
“We could barely see any stars in Rustboro. And it was still bright enough to shine through. It has to be.” He argued.

As she went to reply, the words stuck in her throat and she found herself turning back to the sky mutely. The image of the shooting star stuck in her mind as she repeated those same words one final time. Whatever happened that night, she would have no regrets.


	12. Break it Break it (Maxie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some time pre-ORAS. Some time in the future, Maxie was certain Archie would regret this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Break it Break it  
> Characters- Maxie, Archie  
> Interactions- Failing Hardenshipping  
> Warnings- None
> 
> This is basically a slow motion break up. I really like this song though

It was getting dark as Maxie continued to wait by the window. It had been the same routine day after day for months now, and he was sick of it. It ended today. He closed his eyes as he heard the sound of footsteps draw closer. This was it. The show had begun.

“Hey Max!” Archie grinned, traipsing into the room. “How’s it going?”  
Maxie sighed. So this was the game they were going to play.  
“We need to talk.” He insisted. “Stop running away from this.”   
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You say some weird things sometimes, you know?” Archie feigned innocence.  
“I am not being weird!” Maxie fumed. “This is reality!”  
“What’s your problem?!” Archie snapped. “This isn’t like you.”  
“’What’s my problem?!’ Speak for yourself! You keep acting as though nothing is wrong, yet you do not even look at me! And then you try to say that I am the one being weird. Do not even dare to try to invalidate my emotions!” Maxie ranted.  
“You’re being completely unreasonable. You know that I love you.” Archie tried to defend himself.  
“Really? Because you sound false.” Maxie spat out.   
“Come on now, that’s just cold.” Archie continued to argue.  
“I am cold? Speak for yourself.” Maxie shot back. 

“You know what? I’m not even going to argue with you. I’ll be back when you’ve calmed down.” Archie huffed, turning around and walking out the door.  
“So this is how you deal with this? Ignore all your problems and just run away?!” Maxie kicked over the nearest piece of furniture (a glass top table, which spewed shards all over the floor). It was always the same. But there was no way he was going to back down.

They had been drifting apart for a while. Life moving on had left them both with opposing goals, and rather than even try to talk, Archie had been ignoring the inherent problems. Constant failed attempts to have any meaningful conversation had left Maxie more and more agitated, and it had gotten to the point where he couldn’t ignore the rift anymore. There wasn’t a choice left.

He pulled together the few things that he cared about and threw them into a bag that he carried along with him as he made his way back into the front room, taking to waiting yet again. This time, he wasn’t even going to try to talk. It clearly wasn’t getting him anywhere. Action was the only option left open.  
When Archie walked in for the second time, he didn’t even look at Maxie as he tried to slink through the house, avoiding all conflict. His fiery boyfriend wasn’t about to let that pass.

“At least look at me.” He implored. “Do me that much decency.”  
“Why do you have to do this?” Archie growled. “Why can’t you just let things be, try to get on and make this work?”  
“Where is the point in trying if you refuse to even talk to me?” Maxie hissed.  
“I always talk to you! When have I ever given you the silent treatment?” Archie questioned.  
“You might talk… But you say nothing. Can you not see that you brought this on yourself?” Maxie responded.  
“Brought what on myself? You being a drama queen?” Archie mocked.  
“Do not even dare to try to make light of this! Who the hell do you think you are?” Maxie found himself getting riled up once more. In his own frustration, he kicked a nearby chair onto the floor.  
“What are you doing? What makes you think you have the right to destroy stuff like that?” Archie warned, patience truly running out.  
“I can do whatever I want.” Maxie snarled. “I do not care in the slightest. I am done with this. Done with you.”  
“Seriously?” Archie laughed curtly. “You couldn’t live without me.”  
“I cannot live with you, you ingrate!” Maxie picked up the downed chair and threw it back to the ground, truly smashing it to oblivion. “I. Am. Done.”  
“Yeah, well see if I care!” Archie fought back, by now so riled up that the argument’s implications escaped his mind.

Maxie growled to himself, unable to do anything to get through to Archie. He turned on him in a final tirade.  
“Well we shall see how well that goes for you, hm? I will make you eat your words! I will outmanoeuvre you, I will humiliate you, and I shall beat you once and for all. I will bury you and make you regret crossing me! Then we shall see if you care.” He threatened.  
“Good luck with that.” Archie replied coolly, as Maxie turned around and made his way to the door. 

“We’re better off apart.” He promised as he left. “But I will remember this.”


	13. The Immoral Memory, The Lost Memory (Archie/Maxie/Courtney)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silence reigned, save for the slow dripping of blood onto the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- The Immoral Memory, the Lost Memory  
> Characters- Courtney, Maxie, Archie  
> Interactions-Archie↔Maxie↔Courtney  
> Warnings- Yet more character death
> 
> Sorry this one's so late. I got writer's block for a while and ended up playing more project diva... Which is great for getting ideas, but leaves no time to actually write them. ^-^"  
> These guys are more or less my OT3... But Vocaloid really isn't kind to 3s.  
> This is the first of a few songs I plan to do which isn't in project diva so much but is still a vocaloid song.  
> Being English, the idea of guns being so readily available is a little ridiculous to me, but I guess that isn't the case everywhere in the world.

Silence reigned, save for the slow dripping of blood onto the ground. 

The red mist fading from her eyes at the sound of the gun she had been holding clattering to the floor, Courtney took deep ragged breaths as she tried to remember where she was. Tried to remember what she’d done. Tried to remember who the man on the floor was, and why a part of her screamed internally to see him there.

Archie glanced over at the woman standing before him, trying to recall what he had been about to do. As far as he was aware, she was his enemy, but he couldn’t remember why that was the case, and he knew not of what the man on the floor had to do with it. He wasn’t even sure why his heart seemed to ache or why he appeared to be crying.

As deep red spilled further into the space around them, Maxie took the truth with him into death.

Their relationship had never been conventional.

Archie had been his roommate for a year in university. They’d always been completely different from each other, but opposites attracted, and so they’d got on well. Friends they’d shared referred to them as “those two guys with the egos and a ton of UST”. Despite this, by the time they’d graduated, they’d cultivated a stable, if rather open, relationship.  
Courtney had somehow found her way into their semblance of normality.

Out of all the other casual partners they’d had over the years, she was the only one to last more than a few weeks. She was nearly ten years younger than the two of them, was completely unfazed by the strength of their relationship, and held Maxie on a pedestal above all else. In the end, that had been the beginning of their undoing.

To start with, Courtney and Archie had managed to become friends. But as days turned to weeks turned to months, and the prospect of their two becoming three permanently had appeared in front of them, it became clear that things were going to be awkward. 

Archie wanted to be okay with it, didn’t want to get in the way. But Courtney was just… Different. And when he looked at the two of them together, he only ended up feeling jealous without cause. The sheer level of devotion she showed and his quite obvious reactions to it made him feel wronged despite his own relationship with Maxie. And once that feeling started, it was difficult to get control of. 

For the first few weeks, they still did everything together. The three of them went out as a group, and took part in the same activities. For a while, they even slept in the same bed, all three of them together. But as the wound Archie carried festered into darkness, the idyll died off, and he turned his back on Courtney entirely.  
When she sensed his hostility, she did the same.

And from there, they descended into hatred of each other. And Maxie was stuck between them, unable to make sense of it all, but knowing that his position was no place to be. He tried to mediate between them, wanting to deal with their concerns head on, but found himself getting nowhere, and as a result, things grew frosty between all three of them.  
Courtney hadn’t understood his distance, and had reacted as though hurt whenever he had shown disinterest. But as was her nature, she stayed silent and didn’t try to question his actions, only allowing the darkness within herself to grow.

Archie had tried to pry a response out of him in any way possible. Provocation, bribery, and seduction were only a few of his methods. But despite his enthusiasm in getting Maxie to talk (or perhaps more accurately, to act as though nothing was wrong), his actual interest in fixing the issues between them was more muted.  
As things continued, it was clear it was always going to end badly.

They often argued. Things got heated, and tempers frayed. It had become a routine that Courtney was used to by now. But the venom that his words carried now was new, and it riled her up even more. After all, it was all his fault. Ever since he’d started acting strangely, things had gotten distant and awkward around the house. He was the reason why Maxie never smiled anymore.

Archie continued his angry tirade, hoping Maxie wouldn’t return any time soon. He knew the other man hated to see them fight. But that girl had been nothing but trouble from the moment she had appeared and he was sick of it. He knew he could never ask Maxie to get rid of her. But that didn’t mean he had to pretend that he was okay with her being around.

Any thoughts of reconciliation were forgotten in that moment as their voices rose higher and louder. Any chance of the incident being forgotten was abandoned even as the same thought ran through their heads. 

‘It has to be this way.’

Mind racing, scrambling for a way to shut the man up and be free of her anger, Courtney found herself reaching for one of the pistols they kept in the kitchen in case of emergencies. She would threaten Archie into silence if she had to. But as she looked back up at the man, hand raising the gun towards him, she saw that he had had the exact same idea. Seconds later, the situation got worse.

“I’m home early, I know. It appears the traffic was nothing close to as bad as I’d anticipated…” Maxie explained as he walked into the room, falling silent as he looked up and took in the scene before him. “What in the name of Groudon is going on?”

Neither Courtney nor Archie looked at him. They only continued to stare each other down, fury with each other drowning all reason out. Courtney’s fingers twitched, curling around the trigger.

“This is absurd! I thought this all meant more to you than that. I thought I meant more to you than that. If things were clearly this bad, why didn’t you say something instead of just, oh, I don’t know… Trying to kill each other?!” Maxie continued, shouting louder and louder.  
When he still received no response, he began to grow frantic.  
“Archie! Courtney! Stop this madness at once! Does the time we spent together mean nothing to either of you? Listen to me!” He yelled.  
Courtney closed her eyes, further readying the gun. Archie tensed, finger already on the trigger.  
“I said stop!” Maxie insisted, running between the two of them.

Two gunshots rang out in the next second, and it became clear that Maxie had thrown himself into the line of fire all too well.  
Both Courtney and Archie’s eyes grew wide as they blanked out.

Maxie fell to the floor and the world fell into darkness.


	14. Two-Faced Lovers (Alphafemaleshipping)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> University AU. Team Magma is a social justice society and Team Aqua an animal rights campaign group. They consider each other rivals and try to outdo each other on cross society events/ campaign society barcrawls and the like. Unfortunately, Courtney finds she likes Aqua’s Treasurer a little too much…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Two-Faced Lovers  
> Characters- Courtney and Shelly. Tabitha's around as well.  
> Interactions- Alphafemaleshipping  
> Warnings- Mentions of drinking culture?
> 
> Yeah, so. Sorry for disappearing for over a month.
> 
> At first, I thought that this song was about a love-hate relationship. Only later did I realise it was far more about the confusion between lust and love.
> 
> I managed to retrofit the idea I had to work anyway, but it took time and I then discovered I'm awkward about writing flirtatious characters. And then on the 14th of September I moved into my new house for the year. And suddenly discovered a whole lot of problems, which took all this time to sort out. For the last two weeks in particular, I've had literally zero time to do anything not work, school, or house related.  
> But that's over now.
> 
> So this is a university AU. Since i'm from England, it's more specifically based on UK universities, which start at 3 years of study for a Bachelor's Degree and 4-5 for a Masters. There's also not so much of a major minor system. Most importantly for this fic, the drinking age in the UK is 18. I did a lot of world building for this and in the end not a lot of it got used really.  
> And since to be on a society committee you really have to be a second year or later, everyone's at least 19.  
> As for ages, Courtney would be 19, Tabitha 20, and Shelly 21. Matt's also 19, Archie 22 and Maxie 24 (although they don't really appear in this drabble).

Courtney stepped out of the Students’ Union in the aftermath of their regular meetings, pulled her hood down and looked up to the darkening sky. Things were going well for the current semester. Their campaign for a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination on campus was bearing fruit, and the rest of the student population was rallying around their other causes. Among the campaigning societies, they were the largest and most successful. The only other that even began to measure up to them was…

A whistle from above pulled her attention from her thoughts, and Courtney’s head snapped around to the source of the sound. As if on cue, that woman had appeared, ebony hair slung over the railing of the balcony above as she leaned over the edge.  
“Burning the midnight oil huh?” She commented, flashing a teasing smile.  
“Perhaps.” Courtney replied.  
“Well you look damn cute as always doing it.” The older woman continued. “Don’t stay out too late now.” She winked at Courtney before righting herself and disappearing from view.  
“C-Cute?!” Courtney questioned, her voice going unheard.

Tabitha decided to question her about it just hours before the cross-campaign bar crawl.

“Shelly’s been flirting with you lately, hasn’t she?” He started, looking across to her knowingly. “You don’t have to say anything.” He added, seeing her face. “I, Tabitha, have noted your distress concerning the matter.”  
“You know her?” Courtney replied, a little surprised. Of course they all knew her face- Shelly was the Treasurer of their closest rival organisation- but Tabitha knew her name.  
“I have lectures with her sometimes.” Her friend shrugged. “She’s not really a bad person.”  
“She’s the enemy.” Courtney scoffed.  
“Admittedly, I wouldn’t tell Maxie about it.” He accepted. “But I certainly wouldn’t hold it against you if you were planning to ask her out.”  
“I… No!” Courtney protested. “That line of inquiry is completely inappropriate!”  
“It is no matter.” Tabitha insisted. “Love does not follow such rules. Even if it is inappropriate, it still is.”  
“Love?” Courtney shook her head. “No.” This wasn’t love. This was frustration. Confusion. They were completely different emotions.

The bar crawl got underway before Tabitha could probe her mental state any further, and supervising the other society members took up the majority of her time, as was the work of a diligent secretary and designated sober person.

As the time drew on, her conversation from earlier began to fade from her mind. When it was almost forgotten entirely, events transpired to bring it back into a clear focus.  
“Well now. Fancy meeting you here.” A familiar teasing voice spoke up, and Courtney turned on the spot to find Shelly standing only a few feet away, a playful smirk on her face.  
“It’s not that unlikely.” The smaller woman rebuffed. “All of the campaigning societies are here.”  
“Yeah, but come on. All these people in the room, and you and I meet. Maybe it’s a sign.” The other teased.  
“Sign?”  
“Yeah, I mean seriously.” Shelly stepped right into Courtney’s space, reaching a hand up to stroke down her cheek. “You can’t honestly be ignoring the spark between us, right?”  
“I… Uh.” Courtney wasn’t sure what to think. She was still feeling confusion. Definitely confusion. She wasn’t sure what ‘spark’ there was to speak of.  
“Aww, you’re so cute when you blush like that.” The hand on her face was removed, and Shelly took a large step back, moving to turn back into the crowd. “When you figure it all out inside that amazing head of yours, come back and tell me what I mean.”

When she left, Courtney found herself more confused than before.

She didn’t see Shelly again for a week, and by the end of it she found herself almost missing her, and wishing the other would return even if she would only leave cryptic messages and feelings in her wake. This wasn’t a mindset that made sense to Courtney. Why was she experiencing such feelings of longing? Why was she so interested in what the other woman had meant with her words? One thing that Courtney did know though, was that neither of those things was tantamount to love. Basic attraction? Maybe. Romantic interest? Perhaps. But weak romantic feelings weren’t something she felt worth responding to; indeed, she didn’t even know how she’d go about such a thing. She resolved to ignore it.

A week to the day after their last encounter, Courtney found Shelly again, entirely by accident. She’d been walking through the park and had encountered the older student out running, and looking better in gym wear than any person had a right to. The flirtatious wink Shelly sent her way hadn’t helped.   
The dreams and fantasies that began to form after that day, of shared desires and entwined passion, should probably have been even more confusing. But to Courtney, they showed the answer.

She didn’t understand romance. Her romantic love was confusing and disorientating. She found herself unable to act under its influence. It wouldn’t obey any kid of logic and defied any attempts to define it. Courtney would be unable to express it or even to accept its existence.

But lust, that was something more tangible. Sexual attraction was something she felt far more confident in acting out. She could quantify it, and understand it far easier than any other emotion she felt at that time. Such it was that she decided to act on it.

Tabitha had agreed to help her, of course. He’d asked to meet Shelly outside the lecture they’d had the following day (with the lame excuse that there was work he needed handing in that he wanted checked over by someone else), and had then run off before she had shown up, sending only a thumbs-up in Courtney’s direction before he was gone. Shelly had been amused to say the least.

“Let me guess. I’ve been set up.” She laughed, raising her hands in the air. “Well, you got me. I’m right here. Tell me whatever you’ve gotta say.” She smiled easily, waiting for some sort of response.   
Courtney closed her eyes and stepped forwards, and Shelly looked just a little surprised.  
“What’s up?” The older girl questioned.  
Whatever she had been expecting, it probably hadn’t been being pinned to the wall behind her.  
“Your clothes…” Courtney stated. “I don’t want them to stay on like that.”  
“Wow, how forward! You should at least take a girl out for drinks first.” Shelly laughed. “You even aware of the rules of love?”  
Courtney smirked. “Love? …What’s love?”


	15. The Madness of Duke Venomania (Archie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evillious Chronicles Crossover/AU. First in a mini-series. The tale of a man consumed by lust above all else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song-The Madness of Duke Venomania   
> Characters- Archie, Maxie, Courtney, Shelly, Matt, Tabitha, Steven (not all mentioned by name)  
> Interactions-Archie/all of the above (not that he succeeds with all of that)  
> Warnings- Rather unfortunate implications given people are basically being brainwashed.
> 
> So i'm doing an event!  
> For the next week until the 7th of November, i'll be posting a chapter a day based off of the Seven Deadly Sin series. While I am aware that there's a greater universe and backstory to these songs, and i'll try my best to be compliant to that, I haven't done nearly enough research to be able to promise that everything will tally up perfectly (I'm also not likely to do other songs in the wider canon unless I get particularly good ideas for them in the future).
> 
> This is the first song, and it's being released on the 31st in America (unfortunately too late for the 31st anywhere else), so Happy Halloween!
> 
> You might notice a certain character cameo at the beginning of this one. Expect to see him turn up in most of the rest of this mini-series.  
> Actually, I was originally gonna have the cameo be either Lisia or Zinnia, but decided against that because a) it makes a better parallel with the end b) I thought they seemed a little young.

The halls of the mansion stood eerily quiet. The outside was even worse. For months now, men and women from all walks of life had been disappearing into the basement lair of the spacious house and not returning. Today was no different.

Archie smiled easily as the man walked carefully into the room. Slowly, he rose to his feet, stepping forwards to welcome the arrival. He was clearly handsome and well dressed, blue eyes appearing wilful even from across the room, blue hair slightly ruffled. Archie smiled broadly, giving off an air of friendliness.  
It was the way it always was; one of the perks of selling your soul. Archie had the power to instil sexual attraction in all who saw him. It had been a costly power, but one that proved worth it once the world was at your feet, obeying your every desire.

One of the harem girls (a petite, pink-haired woman who could usually be found hanging around the stern redhead who was one of Archie’s favourites), stood and walked towards the newcomer.  
“Your name…?” She requested.  
Archie stopped the man just before he was able to respond with a finger laid against his lips.  
“No need for all that. Formalities, eh? Once we get going, I’m sure we’ll learn all that.” He promised.

The handsome new man settled into the group quickly, and Archie’s harem grew rapidly as time went on. Despite this, he always kept his favourites; the red haired man who hid fiery passion behind a cool exterior (and by extension, the girl he was always with), the friendly and boisterous mountain of a man who was somehow entirely firm muscle, the girl he had known since childhood.

Between them all, and the others he had brought into his home, not a night passed without somebody to keep him company. Such was the way of things when you had so many at your beck and call.

Another day began, leaving Archie to walk the halls of his mansion, hardly tired out from the night before.  
Another painting awaited him, depicting a happy childhood scene; he swept it into the fire without a second thought.  
Shelly was always doing this, finding or creating mementos of the past- a time that held for Archie nothing but pain and horror. He cared not to remember. Maybe she had forgotten too. After all, she had hardly held back from her own torments when they were children.

She appeared before him then, dark hair flowing an incredible length down her body, and he couldn’t help but feel that she looked better without the minimal clothing she wore. He stepped forwards, determined to replace the memories of the past with something altogether different.

It was obvious besides that she meant no malice in her romanticising of the past, and she was hardly the only one to engage in such actions. Matt was also fond of revisiting the past, regaling everyone who would listen with his tales of heroism over and over. Again, Archie knew that the giant man meant no harm, and he could never bring himself to be mad at him about it in any case.

Over time, he worked to wean the both of them off of their obsession with the past, and things settled down into a calm routine.  
A routine that was broken when a newcomer arrived. 

The man appeared serene and easy-going; perhaps not conventionally attractive, but that was hardly Archie’s primary concern. He was at least taller than the women he had gathered, and rather large in size, but unlike Matt, his weight did not come primarily from rippling muscle; if Matt was described as being built like a Machoke, this newcomer was more comparable to a Hariyama. Regardless, both would make fitting corner pieces for his collection of lovers.  
As the man drew nearer to him, eyes closed in a placating gesture, Archie reached out for him, drawing the newcomer into an easy embrace.

“Well, what say you? Care to join me in this den of debauchery and desire?” He flirted, flashing a seductive smile at the man. It was done; he knew none could resist that charm.  
“I’ll pass.” Came the unexpected reply. “Frankly, I’m just not into that sort of thing.”

He stepped back from Archie effortlessly, and as the man reached out for him, he fell forwards, pain striking into his chest.   
As he looked down, he saw clearly the blood dripping onto the floor, and looked up into the newcomer’s piercing red eyes, a blade clutched tightly in the other man’s hands.  
Somehow, a person existed who defied his arts. A man who had been able to feign attraction long enough to stab him fatally. Archie cried out as he fell forwards onto the bloodstained ground.

In that instant, the magic began to wane, and the others gathered in the mansion came to their senses and began to flee. The man who had defied him quickly turned and left, leading the escapees to safety. It took only minutes for years of work to come to naught, and the last few people to leave.

As his own life began to fade, his body bleeding out fast, Archie looked up to the doorway of the room, and noticed one woman still stood there, looking back at him with a mixed expression of horror and sadness on her face.

“Shelly, wait!” He called as she began to turn around.  
“I never said it, but… I love…”

The door to the mansion swung shut.


	16. Evil Food Eater Conchita (Matt)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evillious Chronicles Crossover/AU. Second in a mini-series. The tale of a man consumed by gluttony and a love of strange things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song-Evil Food Eater Conchita  
> Characters- Matt, Archie, Shelly, Tabitha. Steven is kinda cameoed.  
> Interactions- Implied Matt/Tabitha. Ish.  
> Warnings- Everybody dies. And not in a very nice way. Also really squicky. If you know the song you know why.
> 
> Second song in the series, this time focusing on gluttony!  
> Steven doesn't even correspond to any particular character. He has no reason to be there. I just promised a friend I'd cameo him in every one of these. He kinda only appears in one sentence anyway...  
> Also, in case anyone was wondering, the characters for the last three songs are the only ones I picked specifically because I thought they fitted. The others weren't exactly random (I can at least see it a little), but they weren't as ironcast in the allocations.

Another day dawned in the almost deserted mansion. Few visited, disgusted as they were by the habits of those who lived there. Seated at the table, eating plate after plate of food, the master of the house continued smiling to himself.  
Matt had long been in favour of tasting the most gourmet foods in the world. But something had changed in him one day, and ever since he had craved stranger and stranger meals.

Loyal servants attended him around the clock, working to bring a steady stream of food to the table. Rarely did he hear anyone question the bizarre concoctions he tasked them with creating daily. Not that he would accept any complaints.  
As another mealtime rolled around, the servants appeared, setting out one bizarre dish after another. Recently, Matt had taken to consuming poisonous creatures; somehow, he failed to get sick no matter what he ate.

Even after he had finished eating, he still felt hungry. His favourite maid, Shelly, came forwards and took the dishes before he could bite them, and Archie, one of his closest associates, walked back into the kitchen in search of more food. Matt smiled. It was nice to have friends looking out for you.  
They had caught Tabitha trying to escape the mansion one evening. The cook had been silent for days, and yet the move was still unexpected. And yet, it seemed entirely in character.

They had always had a strange relationship. Former childhood friends, later sweethearts, they had drifted apart over the years. And yet somehow, the man had found his way back, appearing as a servant with seemingly no reason other than to see him again. So Matt was disappointed but not surprised by the move. Tabitha was just one of those people who could never decide whether to stay or to run away.  
He had interrogated the man, but he had simply brushed it off as sightseeing, and promised that he wasn’t really going anywhere. There wasn’t a person around who didn’t see the lie for what it was.

Matt was still on edge later that evening when dinner was finally served. The soup he had been served was fairly amateurish in composition, but he was beyond the point of caring. As he began to eat slowly, he noticed Tabitha step into the room holding a wine glass. He raised it up, as if making some sort of toast. Suddenly, he downed the contents rapidly. Matt was confused until he saw the man spit blood and collapse before him. He looked sceptically down to the soup, deciding it definitely tasted remarkably foul. But he felt only slightly ill. It seemed not even that poison could work on him.

He supposed he could see how the gesture was meant to be poetic. Poison his love, poison himself. He just hadn’t counted on Matt living. It was a foolish move, from a man who had been trying to escape.  
Now he would never leave him again.

His servants were always loyal to a fault, and perfectly willing to look the other way while he devoured the fresh corpse.

As though such an action had awakened a primal desire, Matt discovered a new unstoppable hunger. Before he had any chance to control his actions, he was pulling Archie close to him by the collar.   
“Hey now… Wonder what you taste like, bro.”

Soon after, the food ran out, and he was really left with no choice. His maid Shelly, that blue-haired adviser, the rest of the servants… They were all merely means to his survival.  
It wasn’t long before they were all dead.

Only days later, Matt stood in the halls of the mansion alone, looking around the desolate scene. There was nothing left. There was nobody left. But it couldn’t be over. He was convinced there was still something he hadn’t eaten. He could feel it- there was still something left to taste!

It was while he was chewing at the mirror that he noticed the one thing that remained.

He held his hand up in front of his face, smiling in realisation.

“Of course! How could I miss this…?”

Nobody knows how he managed the feat of consuming himself. When investigators arrived to the mansion weeks later however, they discovered that nothing and no-one remained.


	17. Daughter of Evil (Tabitha)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evillious Chronicles Crossover/AU. Third in a mini-series. The tale of a man consumed by pride and arrogance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Daughter of Evil  
> Characters- Mostly Courtney, Shelly and Tabitha. Maxie, Matt and Archie get cameoed and the guy at the beginning is Steven in case you couldn't tell  
> Interactions- Some kind of love triangle between Matt, Tabitha and Archie  
> Warnings- Lots and lots of death
> 
> I took a bit of artistic licence on this one in a few areas.

Footsteps echoed off the walls of the city as the man continued to run from his pursuers. It was insane that he was being chased simply for showing disrespect to the prince! Here they all were, starving to death and struggling to make enough to get by, and the castle took all the wealth they could cream out of them in taxes to fund stables and fine furnishings! All he had done was dare to complain, and now here he was, on the run from guards.  
Sliding into the dead-end of the alleyway he had run into, the blue-eyed turned and faced down the men without fear.

Shelly had tried to look the other way, but pretending not to be disturbed by the lynching was a very hard thing to do. The girl kept her head down and tried to avoid eye contact with the barbaric men as she headed home. Revenge would come sooner or later.

The prince had been ordained not long ago. He was 14, as far as anyone knew. Probably too young to be a ruler. But it was hard to be sure. Nobody had ever seen his face, hidden away as he had been his entire life. It couldn’t even be determined if he was truly calling the shots or not.

As she was about to turn the corner, Shelly’s distraction was caught by a figure approaching the alleyway she had passed. Although masked and cloaked, the escaping wisp of pink hair was very much a giveaway. But it couldn’t be…  
“It’s… Unfortunate. But irrelevant.” She heard the figure say to the gathered men.

Courtney returned to the castle after she had taken care of the incident with the guards. It wasn’t as though she cared for the life of the man who had been killed; it was just bad practice for the men to be away from their posts for so long. And she had to relay this after all…  
“Are you back already?” Her master asked as soon as she entered. “Did you discover the reason for that ruckus earlier?”  
“Just a commoner… Causing some sort of scene.” She replied. “Nothing out of the ordinary.”  
“I see.” He nodded. “Very well.”

As far as Courtney was aware, Tabitha was largely misunderstood. He was certainly… Selfish. And rather spoilt. But she supposed that was what happened to someone who had lived their entire life away from others. And beside from that, he was one of the few people she considered a friend. She’d fight for his happiness. Whatever it meant.   
Before all too long, that loyalty was tested.

Tabitha had loved Matt for a long time, always seeking ways to get closer to the prince of the neighbouring country despite the other man’s aloofness.

Given that, when he was seen out with Archie, a boy from even further afield (and a commoner, no less!), it was always going to cause an issue.  
There weren’t many who expected it to cause a war.

In a secluded corridor within the castle, Tabitha spoke with his main advisor in hushed tones.  
“Maxie… I think we need to consider punishing this country for their crimes.”

Such it was that Courtney found herself face to face with that common boy. The forces of their country subjugated the people around them, as he continued to smile over at her, not trying to run away or fight back.   
Courtney wasn’t normally emotionally affected, but it was hard not to be moved by the task of having to kill him.

Over in the castle, Tabitha sat peacefully in the garden, sipping at tea as the opposing side burned.

It was late in the night when Matt appeared at Shelly’s door, joined by a general mob of townspeople who were done with the oppression they had suffered.  
“Hey, we heard you had weapons and a thirst for battle.” He summed up. “Wanna come and tussle with us?”

The castle burned that night, the servants and other attendants fleeing in all directions as the mob made its way into the compound. The battle-exhausted army failed to do anything to repel the energies of the town, and before long they had entered the innermost part of the castle grounds.  
The only thing Shelly really focused on as they captured the prince was how much smaller than expected he was.

In the aftermath of the revolution, the decision to execute the prisoner was an easy one. There was hardly a soul around who wanted to see such a dictator live. Shelly had watched the crowd that day, looking amongst the shifting figures for servants who might have come to watch. Or intervene. Given how often she had seen her around the palace, she had expected to see Courtney present. But she wasn’t, and that disturbed Shelly. The figures that did move in and out of the crowd bore no resemblance. The only person even close to her appearance was…  
It couldn’t be… 

Before she had a time to react, the clock struck 3 and the sentence was served.

Most around saw it as the right and just thing, but Shelly was left to wonder.


	18. Gift from the Princess who Brought Sleep (Shelly)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evillious Chronicles Crossover/AU. Forth in a mini-series. The tale of a woman consumed by Acedia who fell into despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Gift from the Princess who Brought Sleep  
> Characters- Shelly, Archie, Steven. Maxie and Matt get hinted at.  
> Interactions- Archie/(Maxie, Matt, and several unnamed people)  
> Warnings- More character death
> 
> I headcanon Archie and Shelly as having a brother/sister relationship, so it's awkward to write for ideas where i'm shipping them romantically. This one wasn't nearly as awkward as the first song in this series though (not least because I tried to write their interaction as rather platonic from both sides here).

She’d never been expecting a truly loving marriage.  
They had been little more than childhood friends, and she knew he’d married her for convenience and money.  
But it hurt to see him waste their entire fortune and sell near everything they owned to keep up his lifestyle.  
And it was offensive to see him bring lover after lover into their house, right in front of her; the red-haired man, the well-built guy, women who seemed almost too old, girls who seemed nearly too young.  
It was hard to walk around the town when everyone knew and hushed figures laughed at you behind your back.  
He could at least try to pretend it wasn’t happening.

She tried. Pretended that everything was normal and usual and okay until it hurt. But they’d promised to stay by each other for their entire lives, and she was going to stick to that promise, even if he seemed to bear no memory of it.

She searched for a solution to their problems, holding onto some naïve idea that there was a way to make everything right again.  
It was during such a search that the woman found a recipe for a supposed sleep medicine. She thought of how her husband worried about their finances and the stress of his life. It seemed like the perfect gift. She tied up her long, coal black hair as she set to work following the procedure.

“Hey Archie. Don’t work yourself too hard, okay?” She suggested as she approached him that evening, offering forwards a small vial. “Take this. It’s a gift I made. It’ll help you sleep.”  
He had smiled and accepted the gift; even shared it with that man he was always with. Later that night, the two of them must have slipped peacefully into sleep…

Steven had expected this assignment to be easy. Move out into a small town, take up residence as the doctor, chat with old ladies, look after sick kids, that sort of thing. Then he had gotten a call from a housewife on the edge of town about her husband dropping dead, and all illusion of simplicity had gone out of the window.

The circumstances were certainly suspicious. A man dropping dead suddenly, in the presence of none but an apparent lover. A house in meltdown and a marriage in clear disarray. But no wounds marred either body. The deaths were a mystery. It would take weeks to figure anything out.  
The woman’s words were bizarre, and caused some serious suspicion as she stood over the scene- the only real clue he had. “He’s sleeping now. Peaceful and happy forever. It’s just as it was meant to be.”

Shelly looked out over the town, seeing the people scurrying around in the rain. Nobody looked happy. The problems of the world weighed everyone down. It was a terrible thing. One that she had the power to prevent. It was with this mind-set that she began producing more of her gift. Once the people of the town had gone to sleep, they would be free of their troubles, and everything would be alright with the world.

Steven stood bemused as the deaths racked up. By the time he had determined the poison that was the cause, it had already been dumped into the wells around the town. There was no way to remove it from the drinking water, and any attempt to warn people was delivered too late. Walking from house to house, he found scores of dead and dying, and terrified survivors rushing to flee the area.

In the middle of it all, the same woman from before stood, seemingly unaffected.

“What have you done!?” He challenged her.  
“I made them happy. The people here are always upset. This world’s just cruel like that.” She pointed out. “Now they can sleep their problems away.”  
“You killed them!” He accused. “How does that even solve anything?”  
“You don’t understand.” She sighed. “It was the only hope left. Our situation was unenviable. It was the only solution I could find.”  
“You knew it was poison all along?” He realised.  
“Of course.” She scoffed. “I’m no fool. But I’m free now.” She turned fully to face Steven. “That dolt won’t ever treat me like a toy again! And this town… I finally get revenge for its cruelty and indifference. And they get to sleep. For the rest of time.”  
“This ends now.” Steven stood straighter and stepped forwards. “I’ll arrest you and hand you to the authorities.”  
“Of course it’ll end.” Shelly shrugged. “After all, the time has already come for me to sleep too.”

He saw her reaching into her pocket and dashed forwards, but was powerless to prevent her uncorking the bottle and drinking the contents down. He only reached her in time to catch her as she collapsed, leaving Steven alone in the ghost of a town.


	19. The Tailor Shop on Enbanzika (Courtney)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evillious Chronicles Crossover/AU. Fifth in a mini-series. The tale of a woman consumed by Envy and Jealousy who enacted her revenge on perceived unfaithfulness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song-The Tailor Shop on Enbanzika   
> Characters- Courtney, Maxie, Archie, Tabitha, Shelly (I don't think any of them ever get named, but that's who they are), Steven (at the end)  
> Interactions- Courtney/Maxie/Archie   
> Warnings- More death.
> 
> Let's just assume Courtney was able to tailor a male kimono into a female one despite male kimonos being smaller. She's just that good.
> 
> Also half the cast is now related (Shelly and Archie isn't that hard to believe, but Maxie and Tabitha as brothers is maybe a little of a stretch.
> 
> About the end line- I got to thinking that maybe this Courtney is actually RSE Courtney with a different appearance. She was in a relationship with a Maxie- just not that one. (I know she mentioned recognising the glasses but still). And from what i've learned from reading around the background for this one, it'd make some sense I think?

Dawn broke over the peaceful town. People scurried around serenely, carrying on with their lives. Over towards the river, a tailor started her work for the day.  
As she began to fix up the fabric sent to her by the trusting people of the town, her mind wandered to the attitude of the man he loved. Even though she was the most loving and devoted partner, he never came home, and always seemed to be wandering the streets.  
It was almost enough to distract her from her work. Almost. But dutiful as always, the pink-haired woman carried on tailoring the clothes as always, keeping her scissors sharp as she went.

The next day saw her step into town to run errands. As she passed by the main street, she noticed him standing there, talking to someone.

Feeling a pang of jealousy, she pressed herself against the wall and watched the couple. It was definitely him; there was simply no mistaking such brilliant red hair, or those distinctive glasses. But that man he was with… They seemed close. Rather too close as far as she was concerned. And he looked strong. And handsome. And the blue kimono that he wore seemed incredibly well made. Forgetting entirely what she had been on her way to achieve, the woman turned around and left, unable to hold in her own jealousy.

She found the sailor that night by the docks. She had more than a few questions at the very least.  
In the end, she cried herself to sleep, tailoring the kimono that lay in front of her.

The next morning, Courtney awoke to the sound of a ruckus outside. People were muttering to themselves and glancing around nervously. She soon learned from a regular customer that a horrible crime had been committed.   
It wasn’t like it was anything that concerned her though. She was far more concerned as to the whereabouts of her partner.

In the afternoon, she spotted him down by the bridge. He seemed downcast, staring out at the water. And there beside him, a man stood offering words of comfort.  
With his red eyes and dark hair, he almost seemed like an inversion of her love, and they seemed to complement each other well. The red obi he wore looked expensive. She sighed. It was as if she could never be the kind of person he liked…

She found that man down by the tavern late at night. She could hardly hold in her own pain, but she had a lot of questions for him…  
She tried to hide the signs of struggle as she set about tailoring the obi she had received.

The next day, the neighbourhood was unnerved. She quickly heard that another horrific crime had occurred. As she wandered around, the people appeared afraid. But all she could focus on was him.  
He stood there with a woman, both of them deep in conversation. He looked hounded, and it appeared he’d been crying. She looked strained and upset, but she kept herself composed.

She was beautiful. And she was there, talking to him. Courtney seethed with anger. What did he think he was doing? Spending time out with that beautiful woman and her beautiful green hairpin while he should have been at home, and…  
Did he buy that for her?  
It was worse than she had feared.

She saw that woman again that night, sitting peacefully in her garden. Three was too many. She was determined to put an end to his promiscuity.  
As she fastened the hairpin into her hair, she looked detachedly over at her scissors, wondering if they had always had the same crimson hue.

For the next several days, Courtney kept herself to herself, even as the whole town went crazy over the latest supposed crime. It had become obvious that he wasn’t coming home. So she had no choice but to confront him directly- wherever it was he was hiding.

She brought the red obi around to hold the blue kimono in place and slipped the green hairpin into place. She was confident that she had it now- the key to the beauty that would win him back. As she caught up to him in the street that night, he turned to face her, and she smiled warmly.

“Well? Aren’t I… Beautiful?”

“Honestly? It’s completely terrible.” The man droned on outside. She knew him as a figure that all found handsome. But she had eyes for only one. “That man’s been killed now. That makes four. Him, his husband, brother and sister-in-law. All dead.”

Courtney scoffed at the reports. A family of four murdered? Never mind that, his attitude had been unacceptable. Acting as if she was a stranger. Her! A stranger to him, after all this time? And it had been he who had walked away from her…  
Regardless, she continued with her work, using her scissors to tailor the clothes in front of her. It was near impossible to wash off the blood. But that hardly mattered to her.

Steven took a few steps away from the tailor’s shop and turned back to the man he had been speaking to.  
“That aside… Do you know what they say about the woman who lives there? I heard that when she was younger, she had dark hair…”


	20. Judgement of Corruption (Maxie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evillious Chronicles Crossover/AU. Sixth in a mini-series. The tale of a man consumed by Greed who sought out certain objects for a particular purpose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Judgement of Corruption  
> Characters- Maxie, Courtney, Steven. Archie, Shelly and Lysandre are mentioned  
> Interactions- Some sort of platonic thing between Maxie and Courtney  
> Warnings- Some more death
> 
> Today in unlikely family ties- Maxie and Courtney are father/'daughter'.   
> Also having Courtney as who she is in this is maybe a plothole considering earlier songs, but then not all of the characters represented by particular vocaloids have been played by the same characters in this series anyway.

Court began on the first session of a new day. Maxie’s eyes were indifferent as he surveyed the poor souls who had been dragged into the court. He cared not for whether the investigation was handled, or any sense of ‘justice’, ‘guilt’ or ‘innocence’. The only thing he was concerned about was the wealth of the accused.  
The corrupt judge was all too willing to look the other way for crimes committed by a rich enough defendant, or convict an innocent man if the situation could be turned to his advantage. Such was the power that such a position granted him. 

Today in the court of justice, a pirate was let off free after paying a bribe, and a dark-haired woman falsely accused of a jealous murder was sentenced to death after the prosecution gave him evidence loaded with cash.

Indeed, the only thing he cared about was money; sinful though it was to focus on greed alone. Just taking bribes was soon not enough, and he was stirring up false accusations in order to bring in more defendants for his trials. More desperates willing to pay their way to salvation.

Of course, the man had good reason for his sin ridden actions. His daughter had been disabled since an accident several years ago, and he had been working ever since to raise money to heal her. He had learned that gathering the seven vessels of sin would enable him to wish for anything- even her recovery. And so he worked to gather as much money as possible, seeking to gain the wealth with which to gather the objects.

He learned that the blue-haired young man who was a soldier in the army held a sword that emanated a mysterious aura, and he sought to possess it. It was no hassle at all to convict the man on a false murder charge and seize the sword as evidence. There were those who tried to protest his actions, but he stayed resolute and walked away with his prize.  
The man, he later learned, escaped from his imprisonment. It didn’t matter; he caught up with him. He always did.

He continued on after that as if nothing had happened, spending his days at the court swinging a gavel of injustice in order to make as much money as possible. At night, he returned to his house, spending time with his beloved daughter.

He carried on in such a way until a particular case came to his attention. The defendant, a towering man with hair that resembled a mane, was accused of being a serial killer. But this man was an important figure within the military, and was able to pass off a large enough bribe for Maxie to arrange an acquittal. 

This didn’t wash well with the everyday masses, who soon rose up against the perceived injustice. Before anyone could act, a civil war had broken out across the country.  
In the midst of the wrath, the house burned. Maxie found his ‘daughter’ in her room and carried the pink-haired girl into his study. He continued to hold her close even as the flames climbed up the walls, showing no fear as long as she was by his side. As he squinted through the smoke, he was convinced he could see a figure…

Before he knew it, he was alone in scenery that was foreign to him. The more he looked around, the more the area looked like some sort of underworld. A figure not dissimilar to the one he had glimpsed before strode forwards, hair swaying as she stated her demands.  
“Part with your fortune! Return it to those you stole everything from, and I’ll let you live.”   
Maxie stepped forwards, showing no emotion as he pulled the figure closer to him, whispering in her ear.  
“I will never give my fortune to you!” He answered, smiling.  
He made as if to escape, but all proved futile as he fell down into hell.

As for the final judgement, it appeared that nobody remained to record its verdict. Only the corpses of the father and ‘child’ were found in the burnt-out house.

Even down in the depths of the underworld, the judge remained adamant that he would complete his task one day. He only had to wait for the sins to assemble…


	21. The Muzzle of Nemesis (May)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evillious Chronicles Crossover/AU. Seventh (and last) in a mini-series. The tale of a woman consumed by Wrath who gained a desire for vengeance and the means with which to enact it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- The Muzzle of Nemesis  
> Characters-May, Maxie, Courtney(ish), Steven (mentioned)  
> Interactions-Same platonic interaction between Maxie and Courtney as last time, also heavily implied Steven/May  
> Warnings- As with all the songs in this series, expect death
> 
> Last song in this mini-series, we finish on wrath!
> 
> As with the previous song (as these two overlap and take place at nearly the same time), there's some father/daughter shenanigans going on, this time including May as well (It's maybe not too out of place seeing how much Archie/Maxie start to act like weird uncles or something by the end of the games anyway)
> 
> In previous stories, I've often avoided referencing the player character in definite terms: most of the time I want to build the idea of a character who could be anyone's character, from their own playthroughs, or even the reader themselves. Although I haven't finished the stories for those songs yet, this will apply even to songs where the player plays a major part. But not this one. I felt there needed to be more women, so I made this one about May specifically.
> 
> There's maybe some artistic licence taken again, especially in relation to the order in which information is revealed. I also don't know how much of this Nemesis is actually supposed to even know.
> 
> Also, we're assuming here that May is the same age Nemesis is meant to be at this point (which is around 18-19)  
> It's also my birthday (at least, it's still my Birthday in America (Nov.7th)), which is why the series is ending today.   
> So in addition, happy birthday to my brother Thamstras, and my friend sketchygryphon, whose birthday it is in the rest of the world right now (Nov.8th)

The girl broke into the blazing house with ease. Making her way through to the study, she stared the evil man down calmly, taking out a pistol and pointing it in his direction.  
She knew this man well. He had played and deceived others for his own personal gain. He had corrupted justice, and sent innocent people to their deaths. She knew all about this, having seen it all first-hand.

She knew that this was the man who had convicted that blue-haired soldier of a false murder in order to confiscate the sword that was his family heirloom. She knew not why he had wanted such a weapon, but she did appreciate the cost it carried.  
After he had escaped from that fate, she had met that man, and an unlikely romance had blossomed. She should have known that that would always end badly. Yet still she tried to follow him into death when she was finally forced to assassinate him. Unable to die, she’d chosen instead to take revenge.

Now the man would pay for all those whose lives he had ruined. It was truly over now; he could either be shot by her where he stood, or else fall into the rising flames and burn. She remained ambiguous to either method, only wanting him gone.

As she stood her ground, the girl decided to give the man at least one chance to atone, not feeling content to simply kill him immediately. It was this that caused her to step forwards and make her request.  
“Part with your fortune! Return it to those you stole everything from, and I’ll let you live.”  
The man’s face was blank as he strode towards her, leaving her unsure as to how he would respond.  
“I will never give my fortune to you!” He answered, smiling.  
The brunette girl jumped back, readying her gun once again.  
“Then it can’t be helped.” She surmised. “A pathetic figure like you, consumed with your own greed… No wonder wrath rains upon you.” 

The corrupt judge only continued to smile at her, seemingly not caring for his fate.  
It only conjured up all the hatred the girl had for this man. This man who had stolen all he pleased, who had coerced her into killing, who had made her kill her love. The man whose face she had not even known for most of her life.

Learning that he was her father had made her feel sick. After her mother had left, and she had been abandoned alone, to learn the truth had come as a heavy blow.  
He only continued to hold that pink-haired doll protectively, and she pitied his madness. That he could honestly mistake an inanimate object for her half-sister; sanity had clearly escaped him long ago.

It had been five years since that boat had sunk, carrying her body to the depths of the ocean! She had stood there and watched, uncaring for the fate of those aboard. And that had been the end of it. He had only one daughter!

She seethed, wondering how even now he could continue to focus on that dead girl instead of her. Not that she wanted to be related to such scum. She didn’t even know why she cared for his attention anyway; he’d die whether or not he regarded her.  
It was a mystery to her how her mother could ever have loved such a man. That still didn’t change the fact that it was all going to be over.

She would end his life, and with it this whole charade. Pressing the gun against his head, she said her final words.  
“Let’s bring this all to an end… Farewell father.”

His smile faltered only a second before she pulled the trigger.


	22. Kokoro (Courtney+Maxie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes your world needs to fall apart around you for you to see what was in front of you this entire time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Kokoro/Kokoro.Kiseki  
> Characters- Courtney, Maxie and Tabitha. The player character and Steven are also hanging around, as is Zinnia  
> Interactions- Relationship between Courtney and Maxie that comes off as rather platonic in nature. Tabitha also clearly cares about them.  
> Warnings- Nothing really
> 
> This is one of those for which I took a bit of artistic licence, mostly to prevent from doing the cliche thing. This means the story follows the spirit of the song(s) rather than following the lyrics exactly. It's also based on two different versions of the song- Kokoro is from Courtney's point of view and Kokoro.Kiseki from Maxie's. They join up rather a lot at the end.
> 
> This is really close to how I see the delta episode as being like. A lot of the dialogue is taken from the games, but I shortened the length of it because it didn't read right with the entirety of the speech in there. This is also really long (probably because it's really based on two songs rather than one). I don't really plan to write something this long again, it took a long time.

Their dream had been something important.

She’d never even attempted to question Maxie’s judgement. Her own feelings about the matter were non-existent. She followed him. Had done for years. And she trusted him to lead them to a better world, without thinking about why she felt that way. That had been his dream. And anything to do with the team… Had just been a part of working towards that.  
But then the dream was broken. Maxie was broken.

Courtney could only scream.

Courtney could recite the names of every member of Team Magma. It was a part of her job, and she prided herself on that professionalism. But she counted none of them as a friend. She wasn’t sure quite what friendship was, or for what purpose it existed. When she saw Maxie and Tabitha expressing fondness for the work of the grunts, she saw it as nothing more than praise for their efforts. She too, received the same sentiments.   
Occasionally though, something Maxie or Tabitha did would strike her as odd. Long conversations filled with laughter on topics that seemed irrelevant. Time spent together outside of the working environment. Courtney had hobbies, but Maxie and Tabitha shared their hobbies with each other, and took steps to try to get her involved.   
She was confused, and shied away from such activities.

And then Maxie had come back after the trip to the seafloor cavern. The sun had intensified, and the sky had then been engulfed in a glow that had dissipated the glare and returned the weather to normal. As far as she was aware, this was what had been supposed to happen. There had been collateral damage, but that had been expected.  
But the world they had been working towards had not come to pass. And rather than try again, Maxie locked himself in his office, caught in some measure of despair.  
Unable to realise why her leader had ceased his actions, and confused by his behaviour, Courtney had resolved to finish the plan herself, deciding that that would raise his spirits.  
On that premise, she had obtained a keystone and sought to use it. But when she attempted to inform Maxie and Tabitha of what she intended to do, they replied with disdain, telling her that the plan from before was not to be repeated or brought to a conclusion.

And she hadn’t understood. All she had felt was confusion and anxiety over their words. But she had known that that trainer had been responsible. Courtney vowed to defeat that person, and restore Maxie’s broken state of mind.

Standing before them, and that former Champion of Hoenn, she had lost control. The confusion within her turned to anger, and she was screaming at them before she knew where she was.

In such an unkempt state, she was easily defeated, and that traitorous woman stole her keystone soon after. Courtney was left unsure as to how to act. She had failed to finish Maxie’s vision. But the man seemed not to even care for it anymore. Without such an aim to strive towards, Courtney wasn’t sure what to focus on. The actions of the others scared her. Her own actions scared her.

Staggering out of the Space Centre, she fell to the ground and cried unceasing tears.

Maxie sighed deeply as he began to clean up the mess that was his office, the battle with that woman from earlier having done its damage.  
For the second time, he had been made to look the fool. And for the second time, he had been bailed out by a child. Clearly, Maxie was on the wrong path, and had to find a better one.

As Tabitha helped him to set things around the room back into their places, Maxie found himself wondering over where Courtney had run off to. A body-count of the members of the team present at the time of the attack earlier had found that several grunts were missing, And Courtney seemed to have also disappeared. Maxie wasn’t sure whether to start looking for them or not. Courtney was usually sensible. And she had never shown anything besides the upmost of skill and competence in all the time he had known her.  
And yet, she hadn’t been taking the prior defeat of the team well. He knew that much at least. The rest of Courtney’s heart was hard to fathom. Many times, he and Tabitha both had tried to reach out to her, but still she remained as distant as ever. Despite this, Maxie considered her a friend, however forwards that would appear. That didn’t give him any insight into how she felt about anything.

There was also the question of her motives. She seemed to follow orders with strict obedience and without question. Many times, Maxie had tried to instil into her the passion he embodied for the task they were trying to accomplish. But every time, she had responded with a clear intent to follow him and the plan, devoid of all self-interest in their objectives. It was a worry to say the least.

In a way, he should have seen this coming. Courtney had been almost entirely alone before she had met Maxie and Tabitha, and he wasn’t sure she had any other friends to speak of. The idea that she had revolved her life around the team wasn’t all that farfetched, even if it was a concern. Perhaps that was why she took the team’s defeat so poorly.  
Added to that, Maxie knew that Courtney had simply not seen the things he had. As he and Tabitha faced Groudon first hand, she had remained in Mossdeep, oblivious to the goings on. She had probably still not realised the flaws in their previous objective. The last time he had seen her, Courtney had been determined to finish what he had started. He wondered now whether his warning to her to stand down had lacked the explanation and detail needed for her to truly understand why. And whether she had paid attention to him if not.  
“Do you want to send a group to find them?” Tabitha asked. “It’s unusual for a team to be gone this long without some sort of update.”  
“Give it some more time.” Maxie assessed. “We have to find out more about the situation before we can act.”

Courtney lay on the ground outside the Space Centre, still reeling from the churning of emotions she felt. That battle had made it clear to her how much she cared about Maxie’s plan for their future. But for the first time she was beginning to understand why. Her own feelings, and his words and actions towards her… Courtney supposed that that was what friendship was, as true as anything else. And Maxie’s recent sorrow and warning to her to forget about their dream… The reasons for that were obvious, once she had seen the display between the other figures in the Centre. All plans had flaws. Some fatal. Theirs had to have been one such plan. And Tabitha and Maxie… They had come to understand that through experience. An experience that had moved them so deeply that they couldn’t even speak about it. They had felt that pain in full view of everyone, and yet kept it concealed, and that knowledge hurt Courtney deeper than she ever could have expected.  
In that moment, she realised she’d underestimated how much they meant to her. How deeply all those feelings ran. It was always difficult when love crept up on you. She found herself awash with new tears, and struggled to at least sit up.

Keeping his emotions hidden. Maxie was as bad at that as she was at times. But he had still always kept their best interests at heart. So he had tried to move them off the path they were on, as soon as he had known its perils. The way in which he cared about them… It was something admirable.   
That was when Courtney realised what she had to do.

Tabitha was clearly worried by the time they had finished putting the base back in order, but Maxie still refused to mobilise the rest of the team unnecessarily. Courtney was smart, and loyal, and she had never let him down before. She would come through for them again. She would come to her senses…  
“Leader Maxie! The others have returned.” One of the grunts announced, barging into the room.  
“Every single one?” Maxie straightened. “Very well. Send them in. I wish to hear the details of this escapade.”

The grunts largely reported the events while Courtney remained deathly silent. Maxie listened with horror to the account of what had occurred at the Space Centre, realising how close they had come to disaster. He couldn’t find it in himself to get angry at Courtney. He could see her devastation from where he stood. And he knew that he should have explained himself to her better. He realised that he had mistaken her lack of emotional expression for a total lack of feelings. It was clear she ran deeper than that.

After the grunts had finished retelling the events, he sent them away, making sure to hold Courtney back. A few of the other members of the team watched him warily as they left, obviously wondering whether he was going to descend on the Admin in a fiery tirade. Instead, there was silence. It went on for several minutes, only getting more and more awkward.

Tabitha was the one who finally snapped, ordering her to apologise. She jumped to attention and then stood still as if in shock for a few moments, only riling up the other admin more. Finally, she seemed to break down entirely, crying more than Maxie had ever seen before and begging for forgiveness over and over. Of course, he would always have accepted her apology. When he spoke of a condition, he saw fear in her eyes, so was quick to clarify.  
“You must... Also forgive me... Courtney. I never imagined... I never could have imagined... How very loyal you were to me.”  
As he carried on trying to explain his own feelings and the vision he had, she only continued to cry, easily through relief as much as sadness. She looked back to him when he asked her to join them in their reformation.  
“Of course I will!”  
Confronted with her emotional state, Maxie was left feeling as though the only way forwards was to try to comfort his admin- his friend- in some way. Slowly, so as not to startle her further, he reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, and pulled her into a loose and slightly awkward hug.  
“My... You certainly cry a lot.” He commented, not meaning any malice.

Tabitha laughed as the tension in the room began to dissipate, and soon threw an arm around Courtney as well.  
There was fear and sadness no longer, and Courtney’s newfound appreciation for those she cared about (along with Maxie’s newfound appreciation of her feelings), left their friendships all the stronger.


	23. Meltdown (Maxie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OR Universe, post game. Sometimes the burden of the past becomes too much to bear, and the only way to go is up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Meltdown (Nuclear Fusion)  
> Characters- Maxie, primarily.  
> Interactions-Nothing of note  
> Warnings- A little heavy in subject matter, seeing as it's about being haunted by the past.
> 
> So this one here's one of my favourite songs, and one I have a particular opinion on. There are several interpretations of this song but I always went with the getting over the past/starting anew one. Especially seeing as it's nuclear fusion, not fission (fusion creating rather than destroying, and also theoretically being safer).  
> So for me, this is a song about learning to move on and also has elements of rebirth. Of wishing you could correct your past mistakes and erase your innocent self but eventually realising that simply isn't possible. And therefore learning and growing as a person.   
> Overall, this is a song that strikes particularly close to home for me, so I rather enjoyed writing this one.

The clock continued to move onwards, its movements lost to the man working under its glare.

Maxie only became aware that some time had passed after his eyes became strained from staring at documents for too long. Deciding that a break was surely needed, he got up from his desk and strode carefully and purposefully to the roof of the base, determined to get some air.

The lights of the city shining in the blackness of night were not what he had been expecting.

Clearly, he had lost track of the hours completely. He put it down to having too much to do, seeing as he had taken the task of reforming the team entirely on his own shoulders.   
He was tired. And remorseful. But there wasn’t anything he could do about it. He felt responsible for everything, and knew he wouldn’t be able to make peace with himself until he righted his wrongs. If he ever made peace with himself at all…

If he could close his eyes and make it as though it all never happened, that would truly be a miracle. But life didn’t work the way he wanted it to.  
He resolved to try to get some rest, already aware that his dreams had been plagued with his misdeeds for some time.

He sees his past self sometimes, a man so innocent and naïve. He tries to warn him, shouts his mistakes until he is hoarse. The younger him never listens.  
Sometimes, it is so immersive that it feels as though he could strangle himself and prevent all of the wrongs from ever occurring. All of the time, he wishes for his past to disappear. He never wants to look back on those days.

He wishes to reconcile his past and his future. Truly learn from himself and become a better person. It seemed so easy on paper, but in life it was the hardest thing imaginable. Molecules can fuse into something greater. People cannot. Still sometimes he wished for it.

If he were able to complete such a task, would he be forgiven in any case? It was a hope that was far from certain.

Another restless sleep saw day dawn once again, and the rest of the team leave him to work in peace. He listens to the sounds of activity as he tries to finalise plans left and right. Again, sunset creeps up on him, but he is at least able to catch it this time.

The twilight scattered across the hazy skyline, turning everything a remarkable shade of crimson. For someone viewing such a scene for the first time, it would surely look like the oncoming death of the world. Such a fate was something he nearly caused, and the reminder was not a welcome thought.

He meets himself again that night, stares the other version in the eye and attempts to figure out what he’s trying to say. As if trying to offer his own advice, silent words slip by the lips of the image of himself, while the curtains around the room sway. Peace resounds, despite the situation being strangely unnerving.

Memories float around in his head as he continues to try to work things out, and he wishes he could banish them, needing no reminder of all that had transpired. His mind offers him no rest, and sleep continues to evade him. If he could only figure it out, find a way to remove this pressing guilt… He could make things better for them all. He knew it. And then he’d be able to feel alright in his own skin again.

When he awakes, it is as though something is just out of his reach.

Even as he continues to count the seconds, the numbers on the clock don’t change. The news report on TV drones on unnoticed. The ghosts of his past stare straight down at him, their faces mocking. The dissociation unsettles him, clouds his mind until he can hear little else. He covers his ears, closes his eyes, tries to get back to himself.  
He only sees more past mirages. They’re all there now, him and the others as well. He feels a desire to stop them, to protect them from his mistakes. But as he reaches forwards, they disappear. He finds himself only staring at the ceiling.

There isn’t anyone around when he wakes up. The room is dark, and everything is quiet. The atmosphere feels oppressive, and he struggles against it.  
He gets to his feet, trying to walk off the rising fear. It is then when he realises the folly in his own actions.

Trying to ignore the past or wish it away was a fruitless endeavour. There wasn’t any way for him to erase his mistakes. That removed, the only solution was to make the future as good as was possible. 

He gave up on attempting to engage with the images of the past, pushed the shadows that stalked him away. As if by magic, it was as though he was filled with new purpose, now that he wasn’t chasing the impossible.

In the morning, without that spectre hanging over him, the world seemed like a renewed place, and all the work that had been plaguing him seemed at once lightened.

Truly, it was already a better world.


	24. Romeo and Cinderella (Authorityshipping)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set several years pre-ORAS. For someone who was supposed to be an adult, Courtney was still very attached to fairy-tales.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Romeo and Cinderella  
> Characters- Maxie, Courtney, and Tabitha  
> Interactions- Authorityshipping   
> Warnings- Pretty obvious age gap in this one, so if that bothers you you might want to skip it
> 
> You know when I wrote Kokoro and said I’d try not to write something that long again? I was wrong. Oh so wrong.  
> I don’t even know where this all came from, it just sort of did. (This is based on the whole song rather than the DIVA part-song version, but it's still not that long of a song).
> 
> Also, for a song that's so suggestive in tone, there's a lot of talk. There was originally meant to be a lot more implied sexual... Stuff, but I ended up going a different direction with it. I still like how it turned out though.
> 
> Courtney and Tabitha are both 18 in this, while Maxie is in his mid-twenties, so this clearly takes place years before the start of the game.

The night-time air was cold and saturated with water, the droplets hanging around like a thousand tiny knifes that pierced through the coat she was wearing. It was late. Very late. Her parents would never approve. Her friends would think she was mad. But she was an adult now, and not willing to pay any mind to their opinions. They wouldn’t ever understand anyway.

“Ah, so you are still here. Apologies for being late; my work today proved particularly engrossing.” His voice rang out suddenly in the stillness, and she nearly jumped from where she was standing.  
“Oh.” She slipped the phone in her hand back into her pocket, pretended it hadn’t been hours since she left home.  
“Hopefully you weren’t waiting for too long. In any sense, we should head inside.” He continued, holding his hand out to her.  
“Yes.” She nodded, stepping forwards. 

Courtney had been meeting Maxie in such a way for the last several months, but still they had a relationship she struggled to put into words. To an outside observer, they appeared barely even to be friends, keeping a calm air of detachedness that seemed altogether formal and stifling, and certainly lacking in intimacy. Perhaps they simply worked on something other than grand displays of affection. What she did know was that Maxie understood her on a level few others managed, and there was a silent, unspoken bond between them that had only grown over time.

Sometimes, they stayed up the entire night discussing theories and the intricacies of the universe together, while others they worked on their own material in near silence. Occasionally, they would discuss their lives with each other; although such conversations evidently felt one-sided, as Maxie seemed to know everything about high school while Courtney had no experience to speak of about college life. There was the odd exchange of charged glances and endearing words let slip, constant reminder of the place each had in the other’s heart. But whatever they ended up doing, everything ended by daybreak. Maxie always got her home before anyone saw a thing, even if that meant carrying her through the town half asleep. But he never entered her home, and she never visited him without invitation. Perhaps, Courtney reasoned, it was better off like that. It kept up the sense of mystery and allure their meetings held.

That night, it seemed as though Maxie’s mind was largely occupied. They weren’t long into any sort of discussion when he leaned over suddenly and kissed her with notable passion. She looked towards him, surprised by how forward he was being, and he, as if realising what he had done, turned red and tried to break away.  
As she returned his kiss wilfully, arms circling around him, she remembered that he probably had work to do. She certainly should have been sleeping. But she was an adult now, and knew what she wanted.

Sometime later, when the temperature in the room had risen a few more degrees, he reached his hand out once more, an offer clear in the space between them.  
“I’m guessing that… Perhaps you’d want to…?”  
He needn’t even have voiced such a desire, as she had already thrown herself into his embrace before the sentence had been finished.

The next morning saw her dreadfully tired, and facing the sharp eyes of her closest friend.

“I’ll take the obvious lack of sleep to mean you were at Maxie’s again last night, hm?” He teased, smiling knowingly at her as she tried to stay awake.  
“…Studying.” She mumbled, trying to bury her face in the desk before them. Tabitha looked as though he was struggling to hold back laughter.  
“Ha. Studying. You know, you have a rather… Interesting bruise forming on your neck, my dear. Remind me never to get involved with your ‘study’ sessions; they seem particularly vigorous.”  
“Why… Do you care?” She asked, trying to shut down his questioning before he figured her out completely. He was always like this- you could never lie to Tabitha in any case.  
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” He accused her. “We’re both friends with Maxie, Courtney. But you take it further than that. Are you really mature enough to be so serious with an older man?”  
“I’m fine.” She answered tersely. She was an adult. She could handle it.

Despite how annoying he was being in that moment, Tabitha was still someone Courtney cared a lot for. She knew he was merely concerned and he’d been a real friend in the past. In her dreams, whenever she ran away he was always there. She’d turn her back on the world and take Maxie with her, and Tabitha would follow too. She knew it was a fairy-tale reality. But it was an idea she remained strangely attached to.

All three of them met up at the weekend, and Courtney relished in being able to spend time with the two people she cared about most, even if the location was bustling and far from ideal. They remained regardless, secreted away in the corner of a café while discussing whatever came to mind- exams, plans for the future, news headlines that had happened to catch their collective interest.

Still every slight noise made Courtney look around nervously, ready to escape if she had to. Anyone who knew her would surely notice that she was dressed up more than usual. And it wasn’t a huge leap from there to figure out why. She didn’t want to risk anyone else finding out.  
Things got worse when she saw her parents.

Of course, they noticed her right away. And of course they freaked out upon seeing Maxie there. Then came the shouting and accusations and even a punch thrown in his direction when he tried to calmly explain the situation.

Before she knew what was really happening, the command was barked for her to go home with them, and her father was sending a death glare in Tabitha’s direction, as if the whole situation were somehow his fault. 

Courtney was an adult. She should have been able to stand her ground, defend her friend and call her parents out on their unfair response.   
But words failed her and she trailed silently after them anyway.

She made her way to Maxie’s house unannounced that night for the first time, and spent over an hour crying silently. He accepted her feelings without question, absorbed them into himself. It was something he had always been good at.

She gave the world even more distance after that, lost herself in exams and thoughts of graduation, making applications to continue her education while caught between Tabitha’s insistent yet gentle nagging and Maxie’s caring reminders to not let her talent go to waste. It suited her too in any sense; go to college, move out. Leave the concerns of her parents behind. 

But if they weren’t the only thing she had to leave…

“You know Cinderella…” She asked Tabitha in a break from their studies. “Do you think… She left that glass shoe on purpose?”  
“How should I know?” He replied. “Does it matter? The prince found her anyway.”  
“Right.” She sighed, already unsure as to why she had asked such a thing. What was she trying to do? Lure Maxie away with her? Convince him to come along? He had his own life.  
Narratives like that deserved to stay in fairy-tales.

She should have been able to sleep a whole lot easier, cradled against Maxie’s chest as the night dragged on around them. But graduation day loomed over them, and Courtney could only mull over the same tortured thoughts again and again. Maxie noticed, naturally.

“Something’s troubling you.” He pointed out, sitting up and pulling her with him. “Did anything happen?”  
“I…” She struggled to find the right phrasing, knowing she had to word this right.  
“Don’t worry about graduation.” He tried to advise, brushing hair away from her face.   
“It’s not that.” She shook her head, starting to voice her own thoughts. “It’s that… It’s been so short.”  
“The time we’ve spent here?” He guessed. “I suppose it has. Is that a bad thing?”  
“Yes.” She decided. “Because I’ll have… To leave.”  
“Ah.” He realised. “After graduation, you mean. When you go away to college somewhere.” He smiled a little, kissing her forehead gently. “Do you fear we won’t be able to see each other much?”  
“How could we…?” She began, before he raised a hand to signal her to listen.  
“There’s always a way.” He reassured her. “I certainly don’t have any plans to avoid you.” He took her hands gently, causing Courtney to look up into his eyes. “In the future, I know exactly what I want to happen. I have a strong vision of a better world. And you’re a part of that. I want you there by my side, if I can. I certainly wouldn’t want to lose you, wherever you go after this.”  
“You mean that…” She stated, already reading Maxie’s emotions in his words. The message took a few seconds to sink in, but once it did Courtney surged forwards to catch Maxie around the waist, face burying into his neck as her torments lifted like a weight off her shoulders.

She sighed later, in the cold and still atmosphere of the night as she lazily traced patterns over his skin. The sun would be rising soon and she knew she had to go. Easing herself to the edge of the bed, she looked behind her one more time.

“Maxie?”  
“Hm?” Came a reply from below her.  
“You know they say… That bad people are eaten by the wild Pokémon of the mountains?”  
“They do.” He agreed.  
“If I ever become like that… Save me before they eat me, okay?”  
“Of course.” He answered.

As Courtney walked out into the dawn of a new day, one fairy-tale at least remained intact.


	25. Envy Catwalk (Betaadminshipping)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Supernatural creatures AU with succubus Courtney. Courtney goes into a bar and pulls. Largely by accident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Envy Catwalk  
> Characters- Courtney, Matt, and Archie  
> Interactions- Courtney/Matt (betaadminshipping)  
> Warnings- Nothing in particular
> 
> Another song that's really suggestive. I perhaps didn't follow the song exactly with this one, but I'm still mostly happy with how it turned out. 
> 
> So I really like AUs, and have this whole planned AU with all sorts of characters as supernatural creatures. For simplicity though, only Courtney is really in this one. 
> 
> The incubus and vampire that appear here are a little bit of a callback to an older idea I had that I ended up throwing out because the implications crossed some personal lines I wasn't willing to bend on.

She had already reached her limit, two weeks into making her decision.

Courtney wasn’t stupid, and she knew that she needed the energy to live. Back when she had first become aware of her… Circumstances, she had reached out to Tabitha and others on the team; people who owed her a favour, people she knew could keep secrets. The less people who knew, the better. But she came to fear the consequences of returning to the same people over and over, and was fast running out of people she could call on. It wasn’t like she could tell just anyone about her condition, and most would be unable to understand her demands otherwise. Additionally, she cared too much for her teammates to attempt to seduce them unknowingly. Maxie in particular was out of the question; she was too afraid of his potential reaction to the truth.

It was such that she took the option of abstinence; but such a thing was hard to maintain when your very life was dependent on sexual energy. Two weeks left her barely able to function, and she was left with no choice but to act.

This was how she had ended up in a bar, late at night, watching people.

Within a single survey of the room, her eye was caught by something. Or rather, a group which was sat in one of the corners. The first thing she noticed was those fools from Team Aqua (or at least, two of them; she reasoned they likely wouldn’t have ended in this situation had Shelly been with them). The men were out of uniform, but they still stood out to her the same. They weren’t really her concern though; she was far more worried about the duo that accompanied her. One look at the man and woman making easy conversation with them and she knew. An incubus and a vampire. And if the glint in their eyes was anything to go by, their intentions weren’t peaceful. Not at all.

She found herself walking up to the group without hesitation. Even if they weren’t on the best of terms, she couldn’t knowingly leave the men to such a fate.

But as she stood in front of them, she realised she had no clue what to say. They looked up at her slowly, recognition forming, and she prepared herself for the eventuality that she was unwelcome. She found the truth was anything but.

“Hey! You’re the cute little one from Team Magma right?” Matt guessed, face lighting up upon her cautious nod. “Dunno why you’re here or anything, but come sit with us a while, it’s cool.”  
“I am… Not cute.” She protested, but slid onto the couch next to the large man regardless, eyeing the two supernatural creatures suspiciously. “These are…?”  
“Dunno. Just two random guys my bro Archie found. But you know how it is… Any friend of his is a friend of mine. And a friend of a friend’s friend… You should at least get on with them, you know? Archie and Maxie go way back, even if they’re not on the best of terms now. So I figure I shouldn’t have anything against you, even if we’re in different teams.” Matt rambled, trying to justify his responses.  
“I see.” Courtney kept her replies brief, surveying the Aqua leader warily. To say he was inebriated was to understate the level of his intoxication. Clearly, he was in no state to be much of anywhere, and she was sure the creatures opposite her knew that. People like Archie were the kind who disappeared in alleyways and were never seen again. She didn’t exactly want that, and found herself forming words to draw the two men to safety without even thinking.  
“Come home with me tonight.” She nearly cringed at her own sentence: she had definitely not meant for it to sound like that, and the implications were clear to anyone in the room.

The supernaturals noticed as easily as she did.  
“Hey there missy. I don’t know who you are, but you can’t just come in here and make demands like that.” The vampire of the duo hissed, barely containing her murderous look.  
“What’s the matter? Don’t trust us? As if you’re one to talk.” The incubus sneered.  
“I don’t care.” Courtney shot back, face impassive. She looked to the other two men. “Archie, Matt… We should go.”  
“Hey now, what’s this about?” Matt tried to argue, as much out of ignorance as anything.  
“We just need to go.” She insisted. She hadn’t meant to brush her hand over his arm so enticingly; her nature was clearly getting to her, and it was worse with the presence of the others.  
“Okay then. If you’re sure, I’m sure.” The big man answered easily enough, picking up his clearly legless friend and heading towards the door. The incubus they were leaving behind glared outright at her, and Courtney hissed in response, showing her true form for only a moment. She hadn’t meant to come off as so possessive, but it worked. He didn’t want to fight her here and she knew it.

Instead, she walked along the darkened streets with Matt, who had supported Archie over one shoulder. He kept talking incessantly, and she tried her best to listen, always keeping an ear out for other creatures of the night. Trying to ignore the definite sounds of humans falling prey.

She definitely hadn’t meant to lead them back to the base. Clearly though, this had been where Matt had been expecting to go. They left Archie sleeping on one of the couches in a side room, and she hoped he’d stay there until morning, undisturbed (and undiscovered, most importantly). 

She wasn’t sure of what to do with Matt. But she was sure she hadn’t meant to bring him to her room. Clearly, her nature was getting to her again, and some sort of instinct was setting in.

“Why… Are we here?” She asked, as much to herself as anyone else.  
“You’re wondering that? I figured you’d know what usually comes next.” His words could have pled ignorance. But his tone and body language said otherwise. He stepped closer.  
“Ah.” Clearly, the man wasn’t as innocent as he had seemed. Courtney tried to step right onto the tips of her feet to match his height, wondering exactly who was meant to be playing who. “If that’s what you’re after… I can give you a taste of it.”

Courtney woke strikingly early the next morning, feeling more recharged than she had in weeks. Any guilt or regret she might have felt about what she’d done were brushed aside as soon as she witnessed the cheerful and heartfelt greeting her companion gave her.

They’d gone to find Archie as soon as they could, relieved to find him still there and apparently still secret. The rest of the base had yet to move, which provided perfect opportunity for her unlikely guests to depart without anyone knowing. As she looked towards the window, Courtney noticed the sun rising before them in a mysterious yet calming display.

She decided she would have to repeat her night’s decisions in future.


	26. Spice! (Archie/Courtney)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some sort of AU where they're all still in education. A lack of communication causes a lot of collateral damage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Spice!  
> Characters- Courtney, Maxie, Tabitha, Archie, Matt, and Shelly  
> Interactions- Archie/Courtney (main), but also Authorityshipping, Alphafemaleshipping, Sailorshipping, Magmaadminshipping and Hardenshipping  
> Warnings- If promiscuity offends you, don't read this one
> 
> Courtney definitely gets around in this one.  
> This was originally going to be the final Courtney-related pairing in my little challenge to pair everyone with everyone else. Then I decided to add one more character to the mix. But anyway.  
> This is about one or two pairings away from being a showcase of every major pairing with these characters. And several minor ones that I like.  
> And as far as I know this song has nothing to do with Project diva, but I really like it.  
> I listened to rockleetist's English version of this song a lot while writing this. It might have come out in the lyrics a little.
> 
> I never really decided whether the characters are in college/university or the final year of high school for this. Either way, they're having a really busy few weeks.

Courtney awoke early in the morning to the sound of her phone ringing persistently. Sitting up wearily, she held the device up to her ear and accepted the call.

“Courtney. Where are you? And who are you with?” The male voice came in over the other end of the line.  
“Who says… I’m with anyone?” She retorted, trying to feign innocence.  
“I know you are. You’re not the best liar.” He replied.  
“You should know… I don’t commit to anyone. Not that I mean… To betray you.” She answered, choosing her words carefully.  
“I see. Of course. I should know that about you by now.” His breath was a little terse over the line; she supposed Maxie had read too much into everything.

The call was soon forgotten as a hand made its way to her shoulder.  
“You’re awake then, huh? You know… There are better things you could be using your lips for than talking.” Shelly quipped from behind her, hand gliding teasingly over her bare chest.  
Courtney turned towards her, caught her hand and smiled. “Really? …Show me then.”

It was all too easy in her opinion to force other people to come undone. Even now Courtney had the woman beneath her exactly where she wanted her; in such a position that every slight touch left her toes curling and her breath short. Courtney spent her nights like this often, twisting sheets and trading pleasure with countless passing lovers.  
For one night, it would be prefect. By the morning, they would part ways as simple friends and nothing more. That was what Courtney was used to. It was what her partners mostly expected. 

It was all just a bit of fun to her- and it wasn’t her fault that some people couldn’t understand that.

Courtney paused at her locker the next morning before class, stopped still in the process of collecting her books. Archie was sat at one of the windows, resting peacefully with Matt against one arm. She had heard the rumours about them of course, but seeing it for herself was something else. Courtney tried not to focus on the smile on his face, and ignored the tightening of her chest. In the end, she simply turned away.

She called Tabitha that day and asked to meet him in the library. They often studied together, and she had grown aware of the attraction he held towards her. As far as she was concerned, it would be a simple matter to win him over.

He made his way to the library in fairly short order, and she made sure to tease him on it before they got down to studying.

“Eager to see me?” She joked, flashing a flirtatious smile.  
“You did call me. It would be rude not to respond in a timely manner.” He shrugged off.

They settled down to studying after that, Courtney playing it cool as much as possible. Tabitha always presented himself to the world as serious and uptight. She was still certain that she knew the exact words to say to break through that façade.  
She continued throwing out flirtatious words and knowing looks the entirety of their time together, watching her counterpart’s reactions constantly. Once his beet-red blush faded and a look of interest entered his eyes, she knew she’d won.

Feeling confident, Courtney made her way around the table, slid into Tabitha’s lap, and pressed their lips together.  
She continued to work her ways on him, teasing at his neck and swallowing down his protests at the public nature of their display. Courtney eased out his desire over time, softening his will in her hands. When she felt satisfied with the strength of her seduction, she moved to lead Tabitha off towards somewhere more secluded and private, certain that she’d caught him.

As usual, it was simply a bit of fun and nothing more.

Commitment was impossible. Even trying for romance was hard, the heartbreak from before still fresh in her mind. It had only been a matter of weeks since she had given up on any hope of her love being requited. There was no way she could be over it already.   
There was no arguing with the facts though. She had seen him, clearly, with a man. It was obvious to her that he simply wasn’t interested in her. Couldn’t be interested, in fact. And she hadn’t been able to bear a relationship with anyone else since.

Courtney sighed, pushing memories aside as she stared absentmindedly out of the window of the building. Down below, Archie stood in the courtyard, clearly waiting for someone as he paced around.

It was then that Maxie came into view, smiling slightly and waving in greeting. Courtney watched as Archie walked forwards, warmly embracing the other man. As they moved in to kiss each other she found the scene nearly impossible to watch.

She found Archie in the courtyard later, once she was sure he was alone and they weren’t going to be disturbed. He seemed surprised to see her at first, but soon grinned enthusiastically in her direction.  
“Heya Courtney. What’s up?” He greeted.  
“Don’t.” She hissed, stubbornly looking down at her shoes. “Just don’t.”  
“What?” He was suddenly confused, eyes searching for a reason for her behaviour. “Did I do something to hurt you?”

Courtney found herself getting emotional despite her instincts telling her to avoid it, and she raced forwards and grabbed Archie’s wrists instead of responding, her momentum sending them crashing to the ground. She found herself sprawled on top of him, and pushed herself to her hands and knees as soon as possible.  
“Don’t look at me with that smile… And drive a knife into my heart!” She cried, struggling to stay composed.

Archie only had to search her face for a moment longer before a sense of realisation dawned. “Well now…” He breathed, hands stroking her face gently. She seemed about ready to speak again, but he pulled her down to kiss her before any more words escaped.

“Here I thought you just weren’t interested.” He confessed as they parted.  
“No…” Courtney cut in. “You. You’re always… With men.”  
“Yeah well…” He looked off to the side. “It didn’t feel right to go off with some other woman. And you always seemed to be so uninterested in people. I kinda just assumed we’d both be better off if I just moved on, as best as I could.” Archie began to explain.  
“But you… I…” Courtney found it hard to take in. She found herself falling before she could stop herself, but arms circled around her and she was pulled into an embrace.  
“Hey, don’t worry about it. We’re alright now. At least you know I love you now, right?” Archie flashed a grin again, worries set aside.  
“…Right.” Courtney relaxed into the hold. This, at least, was something she was able to commit to.


	27. Two Breaths Walking (Courtney/Player)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OR universe. Actions speak louder than words, especially when you struggle to be understood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Two Breaths Walking  
> Characters- Courtney and an (unspecified) player character. Cameos from Maxie, Tabitha and Steven.  
> Interactions- Courtney/player  
> Warnings- None
> 
> This is one of Valeriua's favourite songs, so I'm glad to write for this one.  
> I always saw this song as being about miscommunication as much as anything, so this idea is largely based on that and the fact that Courtney can be really hard to understand sometimes.  
> The player character's deliberately mentioned in as vague terms as possible because I wanted people to be able to imagine their own avatar/their OCs/whoever they wanted within that role.

Courtney was the type of person who lived her life without really connecting to people. It wasn’t as though she had ever been anything other than professional in relation to her colleagues; it was more that she trusted people rarely, and made friends even less frequently. Up until that day, Maxie and Tabitha were probably the only people she trusted completely.

Then she met that trainer, and her walls came tumbling down.

It had been the most unexpected thing, to discover such a person on what had meant to be a routine mission to Southern Island. That trainer had been strong. Had repelled her. Her of all people. And that… Had been definitely interesting. She’d already resolved to find out more about that person.   
Although she’d confused her intentions with the same obscure words she always used, as she left the scene that day there had been no doubt in their mind that she wanted to meet with the trainer again.

Courtney didn’t set out to make friends. But for once in her life she wanted to try.

Maxie had been the first person she had told about her revelation. When he had asked if there was anything further to add after her report of failure, she’d detailed to him almost without thinking.  
“That child. The one… Who stopped you before. They’re… Incredibly interesting.” She commented.  
“Really? You sound quite taken. I know how rare it is for you to show interest in anyone, much less an enemy.” He took a breath, mirth evident in his voice. “Very well. I will… Assist you in whatever course of action you wish to take. So long as it does not interfere with the plan of course.”  
“Thank you.” Courtney smiled. “It won’t get in the way.”

As the two of them headed out to Mt. Pyre, Courtney found herself wondering about that person again. They had been with the Hoenn Champion at the time they had met. She wondered if they were still with him. Did the two of them ever travel together? Or did that trainer travel with any others? What friends did they have? Was there anyone that that person looked up to?

When the trainer appeared to interfere with them, in a fruitless attempt to prevent Maxie from stealing the Red Orb, he looked to her knowingly as he sent her to fight them. As she continued her study of the other, she could only thank her leader for looking out for her. The results of the battle only made her more intrigued by the trainer who so persistently stood against them.

Tabitha had soon caught on to the newest target of her preoccupation. He spoke to her at length as the preparations for travel to the Seafloor Cavern were carried out, figuring out as much as he could about that trainer, instructing her of the best way to speak to people, of words that would carry endearment. 

It all came to naught as soon as she saw them again. Once more, her nature emerged, and with her insistence on emphasising the importance of their team’s vision, she lost all signs of respect towards the trainer that she had tried to impart. Rather than show any sympathy, that person only wanted to stop them. So she fought as valiantly as she could.  
Upon her loss, she could only leave the smallest of hints behind. She hoped that this alone would show her feelings were not malicious.

As the rest of the situation with Groudon and the drought unfolded, she continued to muse over that trainer and their actions. As the situation worsened and that green light appeared to solve all their problems, she became conflicted. Torn between the team, the group she had put all hope into and who had been proved wrong, and that trainer who she had increasingly come to admire. She longed for a sense of revenge, and a desire to achieve something significant in the name of the team came to her. She was led by her own whims to the Space Centre, where she stood before that trainer and the –former- champion. She bit back jealousy as the two stood to face her, bond that they shared clearly evident.

Her words must have cut into that person, and her actions were clearly destructive in intent. She was sure she must have hurt. Yet even as she lost and her world fell apart around her, they reached forwards, delivering a promise to resolve it all. That traitorous woman had stolen her keystone, and vowed to go after Maxie next. In her despair, that trainer who had stood against them promised to fix it all. To save them.

She’d kissed them without really meaning to. But in that moment, everything changed. Intentions and feelings flowed between them seamlessly, all of the pent up emotion reaching across the distance between them. No words necessary. Even if only for a moment, she felt like she finally understood.  
That person had pushed her away after that, had headed off to save the world yet again. She had waited, finally knowing what she could do. She knew now the contents of the other’s heart; and the shared interest within.

She’d gone on to find out the aftermath of that particular crisis, had learned of the meteor and its eventual destruction, of the aims of that woman, of what had befallen Maxie. That trainer had recovered their keystones and solved the world’s problems yet again; had saved the world, and them.

In the falling shower of rock that evening, she resolved to meet them one more time. Now she knew how to react when next they met; knew how she could make herself heard.  
Maxie had learned of the other’s presence in the Battle Resort and she had resolved to find them there. Beyond all the hurt and the pain they had enacted against each other, she was sure that a burgeoning love was forming. A feeling she was determined to nurture.

Words had never been something she was good at. But actions could clearly speak as loud as any speech. Courtney didn’t usually seek to grow closer to people, but for once she was making an exception.

As she stepped onto the beach that day, moving towards where that person stood, she was sure she could do it right this time, and let them know how she truly felt. There would be no need for words and no chance for misunderstandings, the depth of her emotions clearly evident in her movements alone. 

As soon as their lips joined, she knew that there would be nothing but understanding.


	28. Doppelganger (Magmaadminshipping)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Walking in his shadow was okay when she knew he was looking over his shoulder at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Doppelganger (Doubleganger, Spoofing Gengar)  
> Characters- Courtney and Tabitha. Maxie gets mentioned quite a bit  
> Interaction- Implied Magmaadminshipping  
> Warning- None
> 
> This song's name always confused me in the English version of f2nd. Gengar more or less means ghost or shadow or similar, and a 'spoofing' or impersonating ghost would be the definition of a Doppelganger (in other words, someone who looks or acts like another)... Which is a German word (missing the umlaut), but it's the word we use in English. Although 'doubleganger' is the translation, it's literally not one we ever use. So i'm not sure why they called it that overall.
> 
> Anyway, I like how this one turned out. It's not exactly what I originally planned for this one, but it probably fits more closely to my interpretation of the song than my original idea anyway, and I overall think it's a better idea.

She tried to think back to when this had all first started. But it was clear from the very beginning. For as long as she could remember, even in their most distant childhoods, it had always been this way.

She’d forever been standing in his shadow.

The first time it had come to a head significantly was when they had been about to graduate high school. Tabitha had always had an ability to gain people’s confidence and trust that she’d lacked her entire life. This meant that despite being no more popular among their peers than she was, Tabitha was held up by teachers and others in their community as an example of how to behave, while she, along with everyone else, was derided as another of those ‘young people’. It wasn’t like she could ever deny it though. Courtney did struggle to relate to adults. Or to anyone.

Truth was, people were a terrifying mystery to her. She couldn’t maintain relationships easily, and she had a tendency to annoy people without meaning to with her bluntness. She was sure that almost everyone her age thought nothing of her. She thought nothing of them; merely drifted by them, each living parallel lives without even truly seeing the other.  
Soon, the time came for exams, and results. Courtney was confident she’d do well. She hadn’t been expecting to come second in their entire year. He had beaten her. Of course he had.

Like always, she was standing in his shadow.

Yet she had watched as others in their class had celebrated with him, had offered him kindness and friendship. Tabitha had avoided becoming a social outcast, despite his successes. And when he spoke, others listened. It was as if people actually cared about what he had to say. And it was something Courtney felt she’d never know.

“I can’t be like you.” She’d told him when he’d tried to congratulate her with a smile.  
She knew not of the mysteries of the heart, but she was certain she could feel a rift between them grow ever wider that day.

They had carried on in the same fashion after that; proceeding through college, jobs, the team. Wherever she went, it seemed as though he was already one step ahead of her, casting long shadows that she always fell into.

It had become most acute after Team Magma had been formed. She’d watch Maxie and Tabitha in their discussions; note how easily ideas flowed between them. She contributed as well, of course, but there was something about the two of them that she could never emulate. She supposed Tabitha was just that much easier to understand.

For the first time, she felt as though somebody cared about what she did and what she said. But still, it was always being overshadowed. Mt Chimney, the shipyard, the Seafloor Cavern itself… It appeared as though he was always the closest, the one with the more important tasks.   
She was always hidden out of the way.

In the end, he rose in rank above her, as if to make it clear that the difference between them was tangible. Proof of her status, one step behind as always.  
She was sure that she’d never catch up.

Despite this, she always kept moving. In a way, she was able to thrive simply because she was there, standing in the shadow of someone so much greater. The idea of being seen as an equal was so close, yet so out of reach. But it was something to strive towards, to push her forwards.

Courtney was of such a sharp mind that anyone else would have made poor competition; in this way he kept her on her toes, which was at least one thing to thank him for.

She had been alone, musing over pointless things to herself once again. Perhaps, if she truly thought it through, she could admit that she was jealous of the bond that the other two held. The way in which they understood each other, while she remained indecipherable.

It was in such a state of mind that Tabitha found her that day, appearing long after work hours and fully deserving whatever came his way, as far as she was concerned. He’d tried to speak to her, to reach out in that way he always had done. As always, she had pushed back.

“I can’t be like you.” She’d stated. “Or Maxie. I can’t...”  
“My dear… Why would we want you to be? What makes you different, well, that’s just what makes you special.” He had replied, looking towards her quizzically. “What good would it be if we were all the same?”  
“I can’t… Have friends like you.” She’d tried to clarify.  
“Right. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have friends.” He’d argued back. “People socialise in different ways too. That doesn’t matter. Maxie and I are your friends, aren’t we? We certainly care about you.” He lowered his face right down to her level, and she tried not to scoff. “Everyone here accepts you as you are. Don’t feel like you have to change. Why would you want to be something other than yourself anyway?”  
“I don’t… But they don’t understand.” She’d sighed.  
“I understand. And Maxie will in time. I’m sure of it.” He’d assured her.  
His words shouldn’t have counted for much. But from then on, Courtney felt a lot more at peace. Free of any kind of turmoil, she found herself and others getting on a lot easier. Tabitha had been right. Within the team, people did accept her. And he’d been right about Maxie as well, as the man increasingly took steps to make up for any previous misunderstandings, and she found herself growing closer to him day by day.

Overall, little changed in practice. She was still left walking in the shadow Tabitha cast. But Courtney didn’t mind anymore. There wasn’t a place in the world she’d rather be.  
She knew that he cared about her. She knew that he was always going to be checking that she was happy where she was. He understood, and he was there, and that was good enough for her.

Walking in his shadow was okay when she knew he was looking over his shoulder at her.


	29. Paradichlorobenzene (Tabitha)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Omega Ruby AU. When the world turns its back on you and you lose sight of all else... What exactly do you become?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Paradichlorobenzene  
> Characters- Team Magma (mostly Tabitha)  
> Interactions- intra-Magma friendships that you could probably see as romantic if you want to.  
> Warnings- Pretty dark themes. People losing all sense of purpose. Humans fighting. Pokemon in peril.
> 
> This song's another I struggled over for a long time. I've heard people say it's about drugs- but then para-dichlorobenzene is not particularly known as a hallucinogen. Actually, TamashiineKasuka's German fancover of the song helped me out as much as anything with this (the comments as much as the lyrics). So para-dichlorobenzene is found in mothballs and public toilets. I figured that if you were on the streets enough you'd become familiar with the smell. From there, I wondered if this was a song about running away. Losing your home, your life, and then finally yourself. Eventually, surely you lose touch with everything, including yourself.
> 
> This was a pretty challenging song to write for all in all, but I feel a lot more confident that I can do all of them now.

He woke up sometime in the late morning on a cold stone floor. Tabitha threw an arm over his eyes to shield from the light but ended up trying to get up anyway. The headache he was experiencing suggested that he’d passed out at some point last night. That would also have explained why he had no idea how he’d gotten to his present position. As far as he was aware, he was attempting to get his balance on the floor of a public toilet. It wouldn’t be the first time. Not that he was sure how or why this kept happening.

Courtney wasn’t there. Maxie wasn’t either. He wasn’t sure at that point whether they had gone out or disappeared entirely. Things had begun disappearing more and more. It made him feel uneasy.

Once he’d gotten back to his feet, the man walked over towards the door, deciding to go and look for the other two. As he reached the exit of the room, a distinctive smell invaded his senses. He found himself laughing. Paradichlorobenzene. Always was.

It was an odour he’d gotten used to ever since they’d gone on the run. That same chemical seemed to be a constant among the places his world had become. In some ways, it was at least superior to the stench of mildew. More or less. But it was still becoming something intolerable as the time moved on and their situation worsened.

Outside, he found Courtney starting a fire with the help of her Pokémon. Tabitha was at least glad they’d managed to keep their Pokémon around. It gave them an advantage above the others on the streets. He joined her in front of the heat, and let the smoke clear his head a little.

Maxie reappeared some time later, handed them all coffee, and then stared into the fire without a word. Coffee was something else they’d come to hate. But it was warm and it kept you awake, which was becoming increasingly important. Things had been going missing, whispers were being made around corners, and paranoia was gripping the group. Sleeping was beginning to look like a terrible plan, and for the last several days they’d tried to avoid it. When he thought about it, Tabitha supposed the haze in his mind could be down to exhaustion as much as anything.

He wasn’t even sure how long this had been going on for. They’d fled the base as soon as they could, discarding their usual clothes and trying to blend in with the homeless population. After that, they’d travelled constantly, never staying in a single place. Time had become unimportant. That didn’t mean the memories of the events that had caused their situation had faded away.

Courtney began talking to an Espurr that had been following them for the last few weeks. Maxie continued to stare into the fire. These two people were the ones Tabitha most admired. From the moment they’d first met, it had felt as though they were the only ones who had truly understood his mind, and that aligned best with his spirit. He’d promised to stay by them. They’d all promised to fix their mistakes. But nobody had cared. Nobody had even listened…

“Why are we even bothering to run?” He spoke aloud.  
The Espurr hissed at him.  
“Running is all we have.” Maxie mused. “The last fraction of control we have over our lives.”

The day saw them walk from the place in which they had awoken to another unremarkable street, along a path that seemed the same as every other. Tabitha didn’t know where they were at that time. But he’d stopped caring a long time ago anyway.

It wasn’t the way things were meant to have gone. Especially considering the lack of malice in their goals. They’d simply been a group of people, seeking to make the world better. Perhaps he had been arrogant. Perhaps they had all overestimated their own intelligence. But neither Tabitha nor the others were stupid. Given the chance, there was still good they could make of the world. But nobody cared about anything like that. Everyone who had recognised them so far had had nothing but hatred for them.

It grew dark as they reached the riverside. As they all fell to the ground to rest, Tabitha wondered what would become of them. All of their goals and knowledge and experiences meant nothing anymore. It was as if their worth had eroded. In the end, it would have been better off if they were fools, unable to even comprehend the weight of their own actions. The time they had been running had caused them to become out of tune with the state of the world anyway. They barely knew anything of any relevance to their lives.

Tabitha’s thoughts were interrupted by a splash nearby. The Espurr had fallen into the water, and was thrashing around in an attempt to escape. Courtney rushed towards it, trying to rescue the Pokémon, but it had been pushed out of reach by the current, and Tabitha knew she couldn’t swim. Maxie pulled her back by the waist as she tried to jump into the water anyway.

Behind him, a man laughed, amused by the plight of the drowning Pokémon. Tabitha growled. Showing such cruelty to another life was something he never could tolerate. He swung around and punched the man hard, but earned only a louder bark of amusement and a fist in response.

In the end, he was too busy fighting the jerkass man to notice the lights drawing ever closer. Before anyone involved was aware of anything, the police were already on the scene. As they bellowed orders over to the gathered group, the random man took off running, and was brought down by a tackle. Tabitha looked to Courtney, still trying to reach the Espurr to pull it from the water, and at Maxie, still trying to pull her away. He could see that the police cordon was incomplete to one side, and that they would make it if they ran now. But he’d had enough of running, and decided to make the decision for his team.

Tabitha stepped back and raised his hands.


	30. Like, Dislike (Magmaadminshipping)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> School AU. Why was it that there was so little distinction between liking and disliking someone? Sometimes feelings were hard to resolve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Like Dislike (Suki Kirai, written as Love-Hate in the English version of f2nd)  
> Characters- Courtney and Tabitha  
> Interactions- Magmaadminshipping  
> Warnings- None
> 
> I got buried in uni work and before I knew it it had been three weeks and i'd barely done any writing. So this one being finished on Valentine's day is entirely a coincidence. Sort of a good one though as this could so easily take place around this time of year.

The lunch period was almost over by the time Courtney made her way to the roof. The entire area was largely clear of students, leaving her alone with her thoughts. The girl leaned on the edge railings as memories of earlier in the day- of his words- spun around and around.

“Like… Dislike… I don’t know.” She whispered to herself.

She didn’t know how to react to the news she had received. Of course, a lot of the kids their age were starting to think about romance, and gossip always spread in the halls. But she had believed Tabitha to be fully above all of that. How often had they laughed at the fools around them, only for him to come out and say such a thing?

It ran round and round in her head but still it made no sense. And she had no idea what she was supposed to do now. It wasn’t as though she truly disliked the boy- but that didn’t mean that she could particularly say she liked him either. But what other answers were there to give?

When the school bell rang, she trudged back to their classroom, trying to ignore the knowing faces of her peers. Somehow, news had already spread around the entire school. The rumour mill worked as quickly as ever.

The girls who normally loitered around the back of the class crowded Tabitha’s desk, teasing him mercilessly with words pertaining to marriage and family life. He clearly wasn’t sure what to make of their constant prattle, trying to give answers that he thought would send them scuttling away. Courtney turned towards the window and left him to suffer alone.

“Having fun?” She teased lightly as they left school later that afternoon- she wasn’t particularly keen on talking about earlier, but ignoring her friend would be anti-social, not to mention impossible.  
“Hardly.” He scoffed. “Those girls clearly have no idea what they’re talking about.”   
For a moment, it was as if nothing had changed. But then he turned back towards her, looking far more serious.  
“One thing for certain though… I do like you. Do not be mistaken on that.”  
“Tabitha… We’re fourteen.” She shot back, the only answer to his blunt statement she felt able to give.  
“Whatever does that have to do with anything?” He asked leaving her nothing short of frustrated.

It was hard to argue with someone who was acting in such a logical fashion and making so much sense; shooting down every statement she saw fit to make.  
Sleeping on the issue was no better, as the more she thought it over the more her own feelings seemed illogical and strange. Was it really possible to be so frustrated with a person and yet still like them? She didn’t know.

She was thinking up ways of avoiding giving an answer to Tabitha without even knowing if she truly liked him or not, and it seemed like a cruel thing to do.  
It was hard to deny the fun they’d always had together. And the value which Courtney had always played on his company. But those things didn’t automatically equate to having feelings for someone. At the same time, the boy’s own nature… Was something she felt truly fascinated by.  
Courtney sighed. It was all a total mess.

When she woke up the next morning, she wondered what was really so bad about liking someone. That perhaps to allow yourself to fall in love… Was not actually a bad thing.  
The gossip still hadn’t died down by the time she got back into class, and it all served as a fresh wave of bother for the girl. Tabitha seemed the same as he ever had been, refreshed from yesterday and taking everything in his stride. This was nothing short of annoying.

He almost certainly hadn’t been expecting her to call him aside only to glare at him intensely. She knew she had to at least say something, but words were failing her, and she ended up saying the first thing that came into her head.

“…You’re annoying.” 

“That’s not a nice thing to say.” He pouted at her, insulted tone appearing to be faked. “It doesn’t change a thing you know. I’m not going to stop loving you over something like that.”

He turned as if to go back when she reached out to stop him.  
“Wait…” She frowned, again trying to say something. “You can be… Such a dork sometimes.”

As before, she was unable to get out her words without some sort of barb. But perhaps that was just the way things had to be for them.  
“You frustrate me… But I still like you.”


	31. Drop Pop Candy (Maxie/Tabitha)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OR universe. Even after all that had happened, it was good to still have someone to rely on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Drop Pop Candy  
> Characters- Tabitha and Maxie  
> Interactions- Maxie/Tabitha  
> Warnings- None
> 
> This is another one of my favourite songs. It's an unbearably cute one.  
> I like the idea of people supporting each other no matter what.

It was another regular day, blanketed in peace by the gentle rain that kept on falling. Out by the lighthouse in Lilycove City, a figure stood alone, ignoring the weather around him. People walking around hurried to get into the relative cover of buildings or awnings, paying no mind to what the man could be doing. In turn, Tabitha gave them no thought as he continued to ignore the rain, umbrella left unopened. It was peaceful, to stand in the warm rain and to think, away from the hustle that was the rest of the world.

Even after everything that had happened, this scene remained relatively unchanged. Somehow more verdant maybe, but still almost the same. Team Magma on the other hand had been going from strength to strength. It was heartening to see all that hard work finally pay off.

After all, it hadn’t been all that long since Maxie had looked back at him with those disdainful eyes. Looking at them now, such a thing seemed almost impossible. Maxie, as much as anyone, had really grown in the last few weeks. That was something that gave Tabitha a real source of pride.  
Throughout this crisis, they had stood right at the edge, fallen over, and still managed to find their way back relatively unscathed. In fact, all of the flaws that Team Magma had had were being ironed out now. And what stretched ahead of them was surely a brighter future.

Of course, they would move forwards even from this. And wherever they went, Tabitha resolved to remain by Maxie’s side. After all, he had offered his support ever since Maxie had made the decision to change, and even if the man never truly felt as though he had redeemed himself, Tabitha would always stay and try to earn some forgiveness alongside him regardless.

It wasn’t just their team that was reforming; their own relationship was growing deeper, fuelled by an even greater trust than they had had before. Piece by piece, they were working to become better people. Tabitha had no doubt that he would always support Maxie through it, even if the man stumbled over and over on his path.  
That in and of itself was a reassuring thought.

On the other side of the city, Maxie sat in a café, watching through the window at the people running through the rain. The day so far had seemed lazy, as though the entire population had not quite shifted into full gear. At least, the man mused to himself, he could finally show his face in public without the immediate reaction being disdain. It was a small mercy if nothing else.  
Every day still seemed so much like a struggle. Even if it was a fight they were winning, it was easy to lose sight of the end goal and give in to the common perception that they were all beyond saving. It was hard to have faith in yourself when people tried so hard to vilify you.

Tabitha had tried to warn him. He’d tried, but Maxie had been unable to see the truth and the compassion behind his words until it was far too late.

Despite this, the man had stayed by him the whole time, and had been instrumental in his attempts to turn the team around. That was something Maxie could only be thankful for.   
He wanted to show that that faith was not misplaced. It was something that drove him forwards. He hoped that Tabitha could look to his leadership and be proud of him. If they were able to make something great out of their lives, while remaining as close as they had become, he would be truly happy.

As leader, it was his job to head up their operations, and plan their future together. Tabitha along with everyone else was counting on him. And he wanted to pay back their loyalty and more. Additionally, the strength of the bond he held with Tabitha was increasing, and he hoped to remain on that current trajectory. If they could both get happiness out of something like this, it would prove that their change in direction had been correct.

Maxie stood and prepared to return to the base, convinced that no matter what happened in the future, he could count on his team always being behind him.  
In turn, he would endeavour to support them as well. And Tabitha especially. For all he had done for him, and for everything else.

It was while he was making his way back that he almost literally walked into Tabitha, who seemed deep in thought as he hurried along the path back from the lighthouse. He realised who it was in time to avoid giving a stock polite apology, instead managing a smile in his direction.

“Tabitha. I almost didn’t see you. I was just heading back…” He greeted.  
“Maxie. I was about to do the same. Did you have a productive day?” Tabitha replied.  
“Good enough. Although this rain had me trapped inside for most of it.” Maxie complained.  
“Of course. You don’t like the rain, do you?” Tabitha had to think for only a second before he spoke. “I have an umbrella here if you want to use it.” He held the handle out towards Maxie.  
“I couldn’t leave you in the rain.” The other man argued.  
“We could share it then.” The younger man insisted. “Maxie, it really wouldn’t do if you caught a cold in this weather.”  
“If you insist.” Maxie stepped forwards and shifted under the umbrella with Tabitha.

Like with so many things recently, when they moved ahead they went together.


	32. Double Lariat (Tabitha)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OR universe. Even unparalleled ambition and drive could come to mean nothing if you lose yourself along the way. What good's perfection without people to share it with?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song-Double Lariat  
> Characters-Tabitha mainly, but also Maxie and Courtney  
> Interactions-Fairly platonic Tabitha/Maxie and Tabitha/Courtney (although the latter's tinged with a lot of rivalry)  
> Warnings-None
> 
> This seems very much to be a song about rising to the top of a field only to miss the things that you left behind while trying to climb. In this case in particular, I made it about friendship, but it could easily be about other things I guess. Anyway, this is another of the songs that I like quite a lot.
> 
> I liked Rockleetist's English cover of this one especially- "Just one more day to climb up higher but now I see I left my heart on the ground."

The world out there was vast, the possibilities endless. From the earliest age, Tabitha knew that he wanted to get out into the world and make as much of an impact as he could.  
That was hard to do when the extent of your influence was only an arm’s length away.

That ambition had driven him the entire way through school. He became renowned as an outstanding student, something that brought him great pride.  
Courtney had been his greatest rival even at that time. The times she had gotten ahead of him had been truly crushing in that regard.  
Whenever something like that happened, he made sure to congratulate her as enthusiastically as he could. It wouldn’t do to let any resentment fester.

They had met Maxie while both still teenagers. To begin with, he acted as a mentor of sorts to them, travelling with them into the Routes as often as he was able to teach them how to battle and catch Pokémon.  
For the first time in his life, Tabitha had responsibility for something other than himself. It was a feeling that he found to be without compare. This was exactly what he had wished for. And he wanted more of the same.  
Through many hours and days of training and adventuring, a rapport turned to respect, which turned into friendship.

Throughout College, Tabitha and Courtney had both continued to work hard, trying to impress their mentor and better themselves. Again, it felt as though Courtney was able to match or exceed any standard he set. Despite how much it stung, he didn’t want to let it get to him.  
Not wanting to dampen her mood, he buried his own as he encouraged her to aim higher still.

Shortly after that, they had gotten into Team Magma in earnest. It wasn’t long before the two of them were second only to Maxie himself. The entire rest of the group stood under their command. And Tabitha was not about to fail them.  
He set about developing the myriad of projects he had been tasked with creating. Over time, he acquired the technology and the capability to fulfil the task. The team grew. Progress was made. 

Still, it felt as though somebody was always ahead of him. His ambition would allow for no rest. Courtney was surely surging ahead of him. She was definitely more useful. There wasn’t a thing he could do about that…  
Eventually, the true location of the orbs was found, negating the need for a synthetic route.  
Courtney was the one who had found them. Tabitha felt too embittered by this point to do anything other than scowl.

He carried on, convinced that he could overcome her. Soon enough, the entire world would be under their influence, as they brought it forwards into a new age. He would make the difference that he had always wanted to impact on the world. That pushed Tabitha to continue working as hard as he could. But before long, some seed of doubt was planted in his mind.

Had this really been what he wanted?

Such doubts had brought him to the Weather Institute, and the terrible truth of what awaited them. He didn’t want to believe it. Chose to ignore it for as long as he could.  
He had to keep going. He had come too far already to turn back. Besides, he had his own ambitions to fulfil, and those necessitated staying loyal to the cause.

It was as he stood in the Seafloor Cavern that he realised the gravity of the situation. Maxie’s profile was entirely warped from usual, twisted and dark. What had happened to his mentor, to his friend?

Putting thoughts of his own ideals aside, he raced forwards to try to stop the man.

Such an action, in the end, proved fruitless. Maxie pushed on regardless, discarding thoughts of loyalty, friendship and sense for pure, raw ambition. It was something Tabitha would have done, had he been in that position.  
A mistake he would have made, had he carried down the same path.

That day, the entire world looked on at them. Finally, the entire world was under Tabitha’s influence. And he had failed to avert disaster. He could only watch, as the entire mess was cleared up around them, and he was left to play the part of the villain.

Standing beside him, the man he had respected so much was still unable to remember himself. The same ire was heaped on him, and he couldn’t even come up with a way to deal with it all. It was then that Tabitha realised what he had to do.

It didn’t matter if all he was able to influence was the end of his own hand. He could still do some good.  
As he offered it out to Maxie and saw the warmth fade back into the man’s eyes, he knew what it was that was most important to him.

He had been so busy chasing his ambition that he had almost forgotten about his friends.


	33. Cendrillon (Matt/Tabitha)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People being on opposing sides doesn't always mean a thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Cendrillon  
> Characters- Tabitha and Matt, mostly  
> Interactions- Implied Seamountshipping and shameless flirting  
> Warnings-Brief fight. Kind of.
> 
> I was interested in lower pitched versions of this song, so I found a Kaito+ Meiko version and also a Kaito+ Gakupo version and then I got the idea for this.  
> There's so many demo references here.

Night-time had already fallen over Lilycove City, and Team Aqua's base was shrouded in darkness. The guards on the door had been inattentive and hadn't noticed his approach. Tabitha still clung to his thin disguise, although he sincerely doubted even Team Aqua grunts were stupid enough to mistake him for one of them, uniform or not. Still, the infiltration had gone without a hitch. He only needed to get the plans and get out.

He made his way out over a walkway that spanned a large floor area in the base. There were others down below, and he tried to keep a low profile. He couldn't let them see him.

Observing behind a pillar, he noticed one of Aqua's admins engaging in conversation with a few of the still awake grunts. The man was familiar, and Tabitha knew why. He hid as well as he could. There was definitely no way his disguise would work on this man.

He decided to take off towards his objective as quickly and quietly as he could, hand reaching for the knife he had hidden within his costume. He didn't want to have to use it, but the situation was tense.

Matt had glanced up at the walkway by chance, glimpsing a figure that looked out of place among the members of Team Aqua, and yet still familiar. Recognition dawned as he saw the man dart off towards one of the upper doors.

"An intruder?" A grunt beside him guessed, squinting at the clearly out of place man.

"I'll deal with it. Just wait here okay?" Matt assured the gathered members of the team, not wanting to cause an alarm. If this was who he thought it was, he was confident he could avoid raising a scene. Too many grunts racing to investigate would just lead to an ugly situation that he'd rather avoid.

Besides, he didn't want to let the others have all the fun.

The files were in his grip and he was ready to beat a hasty exit. Furthermore, it appeared that nobody had spotted him so far. Tabitha felt assured of his own success, but as he rounded a corner and saw Matt advancing towards him, the bravado faded. Not stopping for a second, he turned on his heel and started running, trying to get away from the larger man. He thought he'd already memorised the layout of the base well enough, but realised he'd miscalculated when he ran flat into the railing of the hangar, almost falling into the water then and there.

"Last I checked, you guys from Magma weren't the best swimmers bro." Matt commented, walking calmly up behind him. "So unless you've been taking lessons, I wouldn't suggest going that way."

"You…!" Tabitha seethed, turning on his pursuer.

"Which reminds me. What're you doing here anyway? You never seemed like the type to get lost, Makuhita man." Matt taunted further, taking another step forward.

"Shut up!" Tabitha hissed, knowing the man would only attract further attention and not wanting to dwell on their shared experiences. It just led to attachment. Made what he had to do harder.

"I'm sorry. I can't let you catch me here!" He stated, raising the knife and thrusting it half blindly, sure he'd strike some sort of hit.

Theirs had always been an unlikely alliance, one of convenience more than anything else. Yet even though they had lost in the end, and his own objectives had failed, Tabitha still had to admit that fighting alongside Matt had been… Somehow enjoyable.

Matt sighed as he saw the other man become increasingly irate and then draw a knife on him. After everything between them, it had to come to this. Maybe it was to be expected considering their situation. But he still wanted to defy it.

Disarming a person determined to stab you was a tall order, but a man like Matt made it look easy. He'd knocked the weapon out of Tabitha's hand and kicked it under the rail and into the water below before the other man had a clue as to what was happening. Before any more words could be spoken, the larger man cut in.

"Come on bro. It doesn't have to be like that. How can I fight with you man to man if you just keep cheating?" He laughed, lowering down to the other's level. "Don't forget. I like strong guys. And the way I see it, you're more than strong enough for me. When we fought together like that, sparks flew. And I dunno about you, but I wanna live to see the day that can happen again."

"So you're going to just let me go? You'd be crazy to do that." Tabitha warned.

"Yeah? Well I guess sometimes people in love do crazy things." Matt shrugged, stepping over to the wall. A flick of a switch revealed a secret exit.

"Don't talk of things like love." Tabitha complained, walking over to the lifeline anyway.

"Think what you want. My pulse is already racing just thinking of fighting you someday." Matt offered in a final comment. Red faced, the Magma Admin finally retreated.

Later on, when Archie asked what had happened that night, Matt laughed and said that a Makuhita had gotten into the base, and that he had taken care of it.


	34. The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku (Ensemble)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> RSE Universe (with more evidence of an Emerald Universe than anything else). When the end eventually came, there was not a thing anyone could do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku  
> Characters- Maxie, Tabitha, Courtney, Archie, Shelly, Matt, Steven, and a few Team Magma/Aqua grunts. The player character gets mentioned too.  
> Interactions- Some camaraderie, but not really much else.  
> Warnings- Everyone, without exception, dies.
> 
> You know how chip boards don't have an infinite life? The contacts especially so. Sooner or later, the old GBA cartridges are going to degrade beyond repair and the memory will be lost.  
> Kind of makes you want to go back to your old cartridges and spend time with the characters while you can. Or emulate the games.
> 
> I liked the idea of going into the concept of the games as, well, games. But also, this song has a known counterpart... So yeah.

The day of the end was peaceful overall. Most of the people and Pokémon that had populated their world had already disappeared. They were marked out by their refusal to give up and vanish into the unknown. But even they could not hold out forever, and now it was finally clear that the end had arrived.

Somewhere back in the echoes of memory, there was a picture of someone. That person who had once walked among them. Who had touched all of their lives and saved their world all that time ago. Those who remained wondered what had become of that person. Where they were now.

Out on the cliff of Lilycove City, what remained of Team Magma gathered in silence. Most of the rest of the world had become unstable, and too many had already submitted to the growing corruption. For those that remained, there was a sense of acceptance. Courtney looked to Tabitha with a curt nod, and they watched the sea beyond them slowly start to be erased.

Maxie and Archie had gathered at the peak of Mt. Pyre, visiting once more the orbs they had returned all that time ago. Even then, that trainer had been present, and had reached out towards them. Maxie had, for a moment, considered reaching back, and apologising fully for what he had caused. But no words had seemed to fit, and he had turned away.  
Even if he reached out now, there was no longer anyone there.

Down at the foot of the mountain, Team Magma still stared out at the fading sea. Suddenly, a shout rose up in response to approaching figures from the beach.  
“Team Aqua!”  
“Save it.” Shelly insisted, stepping closer with what remained of her team. “There’s no point in fighting anymore anyway. There’s nothing more we can do. Might as well hold a truce.”

Although her words seemed to be accepted by everyone, the four gathered admins still stared at each other with suspicion as the world around them melted away.  
Sometime in the distant past, that trainer would have appeared to save them, just as they always had. But for whatever reason, they had disappeared from the face of the world. Without its hero, there was truly nobody around to stop the impending destruction. Still, most present for the beginning of the end agreed that this particular disaster could not be halted in any case.

Steven loitered at the edge of the shrinking world, observing as the corruption spread further. He was powerless to halt the process, or do anything to save those who had already fallen into the endless void- friends, family, and foes alike.  
Perhaps, that trainer could have helped in some way. That young person who he had taken such an interest in- could they really have stopped any of this? It wasn’t all that likely, logically speaking. Regardless, Steven wished within his own mind to see that trainer again. Even if they couldn’t save anyone, just to see their face would be a comfort.  
Perhaps, it had been a mistake to turn away and leave that person all alone. There was no real way of knowing the impact now.

Solidarity had started to form on Lilycove’s bluff as those gathered realised that they could well be the only people left in the world. Grunts from both teams comforted each other while the admins still watched each other with calm trepidation, a silence broken only by the arrival of their leaders, who walked towards the group together.  
“The time for fighting’s ended already. It’ll do no good.” Archie stated, joining the rest of his team.  
“The end of the world. Even the thought makes me wish we could keep fighting. But it seems even the time for that is past. There’s nothing more to do. We may as well make our peace.” Maxie seconded.

The remaining members of both teams gathered around, rank and colour being lost as those left banded together. The overall mood was solemn and resigned. It seemed as though there was nowhere left to go, and nothing to fight for.

“Team Magma and Team Aqua. You both still exist.” Steven commented, approaching the group.  
“Steven Stone. You still exist.” Maxie responded, tone entirely even.  
“For how much longer, I wonder…?” The wandering trainer suggested, staring at the edge of the cliff.  
There were only a few hundred meters of sea remaining, the rest reduced to an inky blackness that nothing could penetrate.

All those remaining turned to look at the gathering destruction, as if unable to regard anything else. That void held intense fear, and yet all present seemed to feel mostly acceptance.

Maybe, if they had had the chance, it would have been nice to spend more time with that prodigal trainer. But they had all turned their backs on that person, and it was clearly too late now to attempt to reach out.

When the cliff started to fall away, some grabbed onto each other. Others fell to the ground in resignation. There wasn’t anything anyone could do, and yet to some, there was perhaps one last thing to say.  
“To that trainer… Wherever you are. Thank you and goodbye.”

[An irrecoverable error has occurred]


	35. Acute (Courtney/Maxie/Archie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He hadn't wanted things to turn out like this, but as soon as Maxie had gotten himself into that triangle, he should already have known that there was no way out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Acute  
> Characters- Maxie, Courtney, and Archie  
> Interactions- Courtney/Maxie/Archie  
> Warnings- Slightly graphic character death
> 
> This is another song I like quite a bit. It's tragic but powerful, even if I feel a little bad for taking the same three characters from before... And having it end terribly again.  
> This is maybe another chapter that warrants the rating, although I might just be being cautious.

The situation at hand wasn't anything like what he had anticipated. He wasn't even sure how he'd gotten himself into such a situation; it had crept up on him slowly, and then beat him over the head until he was stuck with it. There wasn't a simple solution, no way for him to easily make amends.

All Maxie could say was that he had a problem, and he couldn't leave things as they were any longer.

The longer he continued to ignore things, the more an insistent voice in the back of his mind told him it was going to end incredibly badly. He'd run away from it as long as he had only because he was afraid to truly deal with the situation.

He regretted allowing it to come to this in the first place; but it was too late now to reverse time.

Courtney had started to suspect that something else was going on. Maxie had never told her anything, but she didn't need words to understand the troubled look in his eyes.

His expression was different to anything she'd ever seen before. It worried her to think of what it all could mean. The one thing that was clear was that he was keeping it from her. That alone stood as a form of betrayal.

Still, she felt as though there was nothing she could do about it- confronting him was entirely out of the question. And so, she tried to bury her own concerns, hoping that whatever was happening would fade away in time.

If he had noticed her concerns, he didn't mention it. Instead, things carried on for them just as before. That night, just like so many before, they spent together with no witness bar each other. Maxie was as loving towards her as he had always been, but his actions showed some hesitance; the elephant in the room bearing down on them both. Courtney began to wonder: was it something or someone?

Leaving Courtney alone was a bad thing, Maxie had decided. She would worry. It would hurt her. And he desperately didn't want her to be hurt.

But he also couldn't abandon the plans he had made without causing a scene of a different kind. He just had to hope she wouldn't notice his absence until he could return.

The bar they had chosen to meet in was as out of the way and quiet as always. This was reassuring. Nobody would ever know they were there.

Archie as well seemed as jubilant as ever. At least this was one thing Maxie seemed to be doing right.

Archie had noticed immediately his partner's relieved face, and was unsure of the reasoning behind it- he seemed almost as though he was afraid of being pursued. This added to Archie's unease; what was Maxie so afraid of? Surely the interactions between their teams had improved by now to the level where repercussions were nothing to worry about. Yet still, the man insisted on it all being kept a secret.

It hadn't been what he had wanted when he'd asked for things to be the way they had been before. Not at all.

They had managed to get to somewhere entirely private and secluded, and things had begun to get heated, when a phone ringtone brought Archie back into focus. Maxie had seized the object in an instant, presumably to shut it up, but upon noticing the caller he hesitated and answered the call.

"Courtney. Was something the matter?" He began. Archie breathed in relief and understanding, trying to remain quiet. A subordinate. It was not too surprising, given the reputation Team Magma had for hard work.

"Maxie. I was wondering…" She began to explain, before her speech became too quiet to discern.

"Yes. Well. I am, as you can already discern, out at the moment. My apologies for that." He answered, voice surprisingly soft for the words.

"A meeting? This late…?" She asked. The surprise in her voice made Archie wonder if he had been wrong- it seemed as though not even Team Magma were usually focusing on work matters so late into the night. But then, what had she called about?

"I'm afraid so. It would be best for you to go on without me." Maxie continued, voice even. Archie missed what the woman on the other side of the line replied with, but confusion was already mounting, and there was no reasonable explanation for his next words regardless.

"Go to bed, Courtney."

The implications of those words struck Archie hard and an uncomfortable feeling started to form. Unexplained words aside, he had recognised that tone of voice. And it had been just the thing he had missed.

In truth, he hadn't been expecting them to ever get back together, considering how their relationship had ended once before. When he had broached the subject, he had expected to instantly be refused. Knowing what he knew now almost made Archie wish he had been. Clearly, there was no going back.

Maxie hadn't meant to do it. He still didn't know why he did. To say that things between them had gotten too fraught to ever be repairable was acceptable. To turn his ex-boyfriend down because of his new relationship would have been noble. But he had failed to do either. And now it was already too late to undo his mistakes without causing even more pain.

Courtney's hands shook as she clutched the now silent phone. There had been a second person there. That was perfectly understandable considering Maxie had confirmed that he was in a meeting. It was the other evidence that was hard to accept. The volume and tempo of the breathing were definitely not usual of any meeting she knew. The only conclusion was that he'd lied to her. He had been doing something else with… Whoever that had been. But why lie? That was the question.

There was only one reason Courtney could think of, and it made her blood run cold. That possibility… Was not something she could accept.

The next time they met up, Archie made sure to insist on meeting in Maxie's office itself. All thoughts of secrecy aside, he had to confront the man about that woman and her feelings. If this was all being set up to keep her in the dark, it clearly wasn't fair.

Maxie couldn't help but worry over Archie's presence in his office. It was a hard thing to explain away without mentioning their past or their present when he was alone, with nobody from Team Aqua in tow. Things turned from bad to worse when Archie became insistent on questioning him relentlessly.

"What about Courtney?" He tried to counter, not wanting to give too much away.

"Hey, don't give me that. I heard what you said. Are you leading her on or something?" Archie continued, folding his arms.

"It's not like that." Maxie argued. "I just don't want her to be hurt."

"Well somebody's gonna get hurt if this carries on! Come on, just be honest. I already know something's going on." Archie pointed out.

It was at this point that Courtney appeared at the doorway, hands behind her back and expression warped with an emotion Archie found hard to place.

"Courtney. What happened?" Maxie asked, dropping the entire conversation to step towards her. "Is everything alright?"

"Maxie~. You… Tell me." She replied, taking a step forwards. "These doubts… That I have. I wonder… can you clear them?" Archie didn't like the way her hands moved, even though he couldn't place why. But her torn face suggested to him that she knew something wasn't right.

"Tell her the truth Max!" He shouted at the pair. "You're too old to be this much of a fool!"

"Truth…? Ha. You've figured it out too?" She continued, easily within Maxie's reach. "That's all… I wanted to know."

"Courtney. This wasn't my intention…" Maxie began, trying to embrace her in comfort.

Archie saw her hands move upwards, but caught the glint of the knife too late, and shouted a useless warning as the blade was driven in. Maxie staggered back, confusion and betrayal in his eyes, one hand pressing against the wound blooming on his shoulder. Slowly, blood dripped past his fingers and fell to the floor. Courtney stepped back, face again unreadable. Her hands shook violently, and Archie wasn't sure exactly what was most needed of him in that instant.

Maxie fell to his knees, struggling to stay conscious, and while his first instinct would have been to run and help, the flash that passed through Courtney's eyes and the strangled noise she made brought Archie's attention towards her. He made a dive for the knife she still clutched as she brought it up a second time.

He reached her just as she forced the tip of the weapon through her own heart.


	36. Close and Open, Demons and the Dead (Courtney)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to Knife (So same universe, obviously). What did she care for the sorrows of others? She'd already lost too much to turn back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Close and Open, Demons and the Dead  
> Characters- Courtney primarily. Archie and the player are mentioned and Steven and Wallace are hanging around too  
> Interactions- None of note  
> Warnings- Character death and the end of the world
> 
> This song's another interesting one. There's a lot of different translations around and they're all totally different. I went with the F2nd official one mostly. It also has a lot of different interpretations. I see it as being about an orphan who's cast off by their community and makes friends with the yokai who help them enact revenge.
> 
> This story's a sequel to knife (chapter 3) although you don't necessarily need to have read that one to understand this one.

In the ruins of Sootopolis City, few signs of life remained. Hardly a soul had made it out of that place alive, once the monstrosity that was Primal Groudon had emerged from the Cave of Origin and begun its destruction. Standing on charred wreckage, the cause of it all simply laughed.

The world had whited out when she'd been forced to make her choice. The clattering of the knife to the ground brought Courtney back momentarily. She'd done what she'd had to do. But what was she meant to do now?

A calm, assertive voice in the back of her mind told her that she had to keep going. She had to finish their plans, for Maxie's sake if nothing else. She had to carry on.

She looked towards Maxie first, dragging his lifeless body the short distance onto the couch and turning him onto his side, to make it more difficult to tell that he wasn't simply sleeping. She snapped the Key Stone from his glasses, sensing that she could need it. Her eyes cast over the Red Orb, now lying on the broken table. She pocketed it quickly and moved on. Maxie's Pokémon joined her own.

Her trusted Camerupt would never have told of the things she'd done, and Courtney knew she'd never return Tabitha to his room any other way. Once they'd made it there, she left him in bed, envious of how peaceful and calm he looked.

On her way to meeting the grunts carrying out the maintenance on the submarine, she disposed of the knife down one of the tubes of magma that criss-crossed their base. In time, the heat would melt everything away.

The team waiting there seemed confused to see her, and she struggled to think of an easy lie.

"Leader Maxie is not well. I will go to the Seafloor Cavern. It is best not to disturb him." She eventually explained.

They accepted this without question, and not even the intervention of that meddling trainer prevented their team from getting on its way. Alone, Courtney started to doubt if she'd done the right thing. If someone were to trespass into Maxie's room… She wondered about the uproar that would be caused. But it was too late now. She had to bring their plans to fruition.

Seafloor Cavern was desolate and did nothing to soothe her mind. The grunts set about standing guard while Courtney made her way into the back of the cave, coming face to face with the beast that slept in magma inside. Her hand ghosted over the orb that she held in her pocket, and she felt a jolt pass through her, as if energised.

It was then that the leader of Team Aqua chose to put in an appearance. Filled with a sense of anger at how close she had come only to be interrupted, Courtney fought the man with great malice. He fell easily enough now that she had a Mega Evolving Pokémon on her side, and before long she was once more ready to awaken the super-ancient Pokémon.

That child appeared once again in the nick of time, but Courtney wasn't going to let them get in her way anymore. Even the younger trainer's apparent victory wasn't enough to stop her as she raised the Red Orb high and brought Groudon out of its slumber.

It was at this point that the influence of the orb became fully known. But by the time Courtney was aware of it, it was too late to fight its corrupting influence. In her haste, she had forgotten Tabitha's words about the reason for Maxie's condition at her own peril.

She fled from the scene as Groudon burst through the surface of the sea and made its way towards Sootopolis. She ignored the voices of her grunts on the surface warning her of the overwhelming power that was greater than anticipated. She ignored Archie and that child and that pretty boy Champion as they tried to call her back, tried to call her out for what she'd done.

Courtney didn't care for them or for what became of the world. She travelled to where she knew Groudon would be- the Cave of Origin. The guardians tried to stop her, but in her current state they were no match for her. Before Hoenn's protectors could even gather outside the door, she had slipped inside.

The core of the region was filled with an inexplicable power that charged the entire area. Somehow, the meddling child managed to join them even here. Courtney refused to let that trainer even attempt to stop Groudon. This was all she had left. Nobody else was left to support her, to care for her. They had all given their lives for this plan… It would not be in vain!

That trainer met their end before too long. Their Pokémon may have won the trainer battle, but Courtney and Groudon won the war. Soon, the Pokémon's Primal Reversion was completed, and it reached its full power.

Those that waited outside the Cave of Origin had no idea what was awaiting them as Primal Groudon burst to the surface once again. Trainers sent out their Pokémon and prepared for battle, but by now the Legendary Pokémon was far too powerful and it defeated all opponents with ease.

The sun continued to shine down with a blinding vengeance as Courtney's attention moved to the trainers who had tried to stop them, determined that they wouldn't get away with their actions. Or at all.

Without Pokémon to protect them, humans put up little resistance. It took no time at all for the entire settlement to be decimated. Courtney didn't care. Couldn't care. She'd already lost everything she had ever cared about. She'd already lost herself. The warped version of her own psyche could only be excited at the prospect of the world burning in fire. It would end. All of it.

As the sun continued to shine on a day that would never end, and the first of many cities stood in ruins, Courtney could only laugh.


	37. Glory 3usi9 (Player)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OR Universe. Sometimes, words were not enough, and a message had to be carried in another way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Glory 3usi9  
> Characters- Maxie and the player character mostly, although some others get mentioned  
> Interactions- Implied Redorbshipping, could be viewed as platonic  
> Warnings- None
> 
> This is another song I think is really nice. I like it a lot.  
> As I said before, I generally avoid referencing the player in any specific terms, and this continues here. It made this one more challenging to write, but I wanted to make a character who readers could imagine as whoever they want, so it was worthwhile.

All in all, it had been a long struggle, and even the hardiest of hearts felt fatigued. Perhaps it was because of that that the trainer was trying so hard to lift everyone up.

The new day that dawned beyond the fear and the frantic rushing that had characterised the meteor incident was full of hope. The stolen Key Stones had been recovered, the meteor shower had gone off without a hitch, and everyone had been reassured once again. Furthermore, truths had been spoken and many of those involved in the calamity had grown far closer.

All in all, much like the incident with Groudon, things had been set right, and the world was back to normal with hardly a scratch on it. If anything, it was better.

But despite it all, Maxie remained engrossed in his own guilt.

The young trainer despaired at seeing his sadness, and wished to do something about it.

It hadn't been the time or the place at the Cave of Origin, and no words had flowed regardless. But now, if only the right ones could be chosen, perhaps the man could be brought out of his slump. That was what the trainer hoped.

If nothing else, he couldn't continue down the path he was on- only self-destruction lay in that direction. There had to be a way to lift his spirits, and show him that all he had done had been worth something. That his life up until this point hadn't been in vain.

That trainer struggled to think of what to do. Every contest appearance, every battle, they only continued to mull over things to say or ways to cheer the man up. After so long, finally something of an idea was formed. But all courage left the young trainer when it came to actually delivering their words. Team Magma's base was intimidating, its grunts and admins particularly unapproachable, and Maxie himself was aloof enough that any attempts to speak openly about such emotive things died on the trainer's lips before they could bring them up. There had to be another way.

The rest of the region wasn't this hard to reach. Most people were moved by contest performances or masterful displays of strength. Even Steven could be made to understand through the art of battle.

The difficulty didn't make the trainer give up. If anything, they wanted to help Maxie even more. He had also been an important person in their journey. Even if it seemed bizarre to some, the trainer had grown to care for the man and had been deeply worried at the signs of his crushed spirit. It was something that looked entirely foreign on the usually purposeful man, and the young person was determined to bring an end to that.

After more pondering, a plan began to come to the trainer. If simply saying the words directly was too difficult, they would have to be transmitted in some other way. A way that still allowed the meaning to get through.

Maxie had been more than a little surprised when someone slipped a CD under the door to his room that day. At first, he had almost disregarded the object, but soon curiosity grew and he found himself picking it up to examine it. A card had been slipped into the case, and he began to read the message inscribed as he loaded the disc cautiously into a computer.

The message that had been left for him was inexplicably heart-warming. And then the voice came through on the speakers, delivering its words of hope and of admiration, of fear and appreciation. Everything that that child- no, that trainer- had ever wanted to say. Proof that they still thought of him, still worried about him. That somebody outside the closed circle of Team Magma cared.

Maxie got to his feet as the recording ended, feeling a rejuvenation within his very being. He had been sitting on his laurels, focusing on his mistakes, while he should have been working towards the revitalisation of their team. The entirety of Team Magma depended on him and he couldn't let them down. He had to stand tall for them. And that meant not just sitting around, but actually acting.

He walked towards the door, determined to find the young trainer and to thank them. When he looked around at the rest of the team, he saw energised people prepared to make the world a better place. As he moved through the hallways, he noticed Tabitha and Courtney were hard at work, directing its members as they truly turned over a new leaf.

When he finally made it to the outside of the base, he found that the trainer had been waiting for him all along, with a gentle smile and infinite patience.

He was grateful for it.


	38. Miracle Paint (Alphafemaleshipping)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love transforms. A strong love will affect every inch of you, as if painting you a different colour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Miracle Paint  
> Characters- Shelly and Courtney  
> Interactions- Alphafemaleshipping  
> Warnings- None, unless suggestive content offends you
> 
> So I wrote this, and then realised there was a second verse to the song. Too late to add it. So this is based on the half length diva version and as a result is fairly short. I'm still pretty happy with it though.
> 
> This song was one of those i'm pretty sure is one big double entendre. Like, it could be about love changing you, and it could be about something far more suggestive. I tried to balance the two off.

A long day at work finally came to an end, and Shelly's heart rose as she started on her way home. She had already arranged to visit her girlfriend that evening, and that was sure to promise a night of magic ahead of them.

The woman felt excitement start to build as she continued towards the unassuming house. Whenever Courtney was around, she felt her whole self being transformed, as though painted a new colour entirely.

She hadn't ever really trusted those people who had spoken so plainly of the miraculous effects of love before, but for the first time she was starting to see it herself. The magic of her love clearly had her in its sights, and she wasn't about to try to fight it. In fact, the feeling was exhilarating.

When she reached the door, Shelly let herself in without a fanfare, calling out as she entered the hall.

"Shouldn't leave your doors unlocked. Who knows who could come in? I'd hate to see anything happen to that cute face of yours."

"A compliment… Or a threat? I can't tell…" Courtney mused, drifting through from the kitchen. "Besides, usually… I would not."

"Oh? You mean you made an exception for me? Well, that's sweet of you. Consider me flattered." Shelly continued, walking forwards.

"I knew you were coming." Courtney blushed a little, playing it down. "I did not want you to be waiting outside… If I got too focused inside."

"How eloquent. I can think of so many more things you could be doing with that tongue of yours though." Her girlfriend flirted openly, leaning right into Courtney's personal space.

She had no response to that, turning entirely scarlet and disappearing back into the house. Shelly laughed softly, not wanting to press further in case she made the other woman uncomfortable, but still enjoying watching her unguarded reactions.

The girlfriends continued into the kitchen, Shelly perching on the counter as Courtney continued working on dinner for the both of them. Afterwards, they ate together peacefully, keeping a relaxed yet playful attitude, as the taller woman still couldn't quite resist teasing glances and the occasional flirtatious line.

It was after that point that the women settled down, watching a documentary drift by on the TV. It was at times like this that Shelly reflected on how lucky she really was, being able to unwind in such a way with someone as wonderful as her girlfriend. Even if other people didn't always understand her, and her reactions sometimes confused those around her, she wouldn't change Courtney for the world.

Truly, she was happy with things exactly as they were, with the exception of one small detail. Shelly shuffled closer to her smaller lover, wanting to get closer to her without pushing too fast. It was an action that required a little more thought and care, rather than simply charging in. But it was worth it when Courtney yawned and slumped against her shoulder, allowing Shelly to embrace her softly. These moments of warmth and affection were greater than anything else.

Later on, once the evening had been given time to draw on, the taller woman leaned in to kiss her smaller girlfriend gently and was pleasantly surprised to find the action returned. Chaste kisses were exchanged for a few minutes before the intensity began to increase, Shelly pulling her girlfriend to lie with her on the couch while running her hand gently down her side.

There was also enjoyment in moments like this, watching as her lover truly started to express the extent and nature of her own feelings; the knowledge that they were directed solely at her and the almost inevitable promise of what it all would lead to a little later on. When things got like this, it was as though she were painted in love, her heart being stained with the colour.

Words couldn't describe how wonderful that felt.

She didn't want to rush things, but Shelly also couldn't get enough of such attention and was eager for more.

"You're being so forward tonight. Not that I mind of course." She commented.

"…When I want to be." Was all the response she got, before her girlfriend busied herself with littering kisses along her neck.

"Well. We'll just have to take full advantage of your current mood, won't we?" The taller woman winked to her smaller partner.

"Hmm." Courtney answered noncommittally, getting rather distracted by her partner's hair.

Shelly found herself laughing. Love could definitely do mysterious things to people.

As she whisked her lover upstairs, not allowing for further distractions, she reflected on how grateful she was to have such love.


	39. Packaged (Shelly/Maxie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even when the distance between two people is large, there are always things capable of crossing the divide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Packaged  
> Characters- Shelly and Maxie  
> Interactions- Shelly/Maxie  
> Warnings- None
> 
> This is one of those pairings I never really considered before I started this, but the more I think about it, the more I think it could really work.

The familiar sound of the voicemail service announced the usual instructions, in a way Shelly was more than used to by now.

"Hey Maxie." She spoke, recording her message. "Just asking how your day was. Knowing you, it's probably been long so far. But you can get there. I know you can."

It had been this way for as long as they'd known each other.

They'd met a long time ago, drawn to each other by their strong drive and shared intellect. Keeping in touch had been difficult from the start, their busy lifestyles meaning they almost always missed each other with calls. Exchanging voicemails had become the cornerstone of their friendship.

On that day though, Shelly had come to a conclusion. There was one thing in particular that she had to say. Something she'd never expressed before.

Just thinking about it was hard, and finding the right words harder still. She stared at her phone as time went on. She knew that it was incredibly unlikely that Maxie would answer. But leaving a message seemed just as hard.

Still, she had to speak. There was no way she could keep such an important thing to herself.

Unsure as to whether her words would change everything or nothing at all, she reached for the handset once again.

Some days, she was amazed at the power of their words to cross the distance between them. At how easily just a few words could cut through time and space and take them back to those simple days just after they'd met. When their differing goals and allegiances hadn't meant a single thing. Even now, this secret communication put all of that aside, if only for a moment.

In truth, it had been more than a little frustrating in the earlier days of Team Aqua, when she had been surrounded by well-meaning but largely inept fools. She'd ran into Maxie as part of a networking event, and the stimulating discussions she'd been able to have with the man had felt like finally taking a drink of water after weeks out in the desert. Naturally, they'd gotten on famously, and had departed that event as sure friends.

She'd learned later just who he was and what he stood for, but to her that was no reason to cut him off entirely; rigorous debate and scientific reason existed on a level beyond their colours and their plans, and sometimes it was nice to forget about the worries and considerations of her daily life and connect to somebody else as a simpler version of herself.

In time, she came to be honest with him as well. Despite their obviously opposing goals, they remained in touch, neither giving ground on their ideals nor trying especially to persuade the other. In general, they spoke little of the practicalities of wishing each other well in disrupting each other's progress, focusing on neutral issues that still interested them both.

Now, of course, Team Aqua had scientists and research was carried out on a daily basis. She had a multitude of people with which to ponder the more intellectual things in life. Regardless, she still valued her conversations with Maxie as much as she always had.

It was strange, to have an enemy supporting you as you set about enacting your vision. But Shelly was grateful for it. Maxie wasn't one for sweeping expressions of feeling, but somehow, he knew whenever Shelly had had a bad day and was likely to be in need of encouragement. Maybe he was honestly that good of a reader of people. Whatever it was, he always delivered on that.

It was enough to make Shelly wonder if he perhaps already knew what she had been meaning to say. But if he had, he certainly didn't act upon it.

The sound of the voicemail service came over the line again, and Shelly finally began to speak her mind.

"Hey. It's me again. I guess you never were one for the heartfelt but… I just wanted to make sure you know I enjoy talking to you like this. It means a lot, you know? The way we can just talk… I love it. I love you." She stopped, faltering for a second before deciding it was too late to bottle out. "Anyway, you know. Talk to you later. Bye."

She stared at the phone afterwards for a while. It felt better out in the open, even if she'd sounded a little awkward and unlike herself. But she had to say it. She didn't know where things would go from here. Their plans were moving forwards and she wasn't sure they'd be in touch so often. She didn't want to lose contact with him regardless of what happened, but the situation felt out of her control. She had to tell him now.

She'd gone back to work after that, staying resolute throughout the whole day and putting the feelings from earlier aside. When she finally turned her phone back on, she found she had a missed call, and a message left behind.


	40. Luka Luka Night Fever (Shelly/Player)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes it's important to worry less, take the chances that were offered to you, and have a little fun in life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Luka Luka Night Fever  
> Characters- Shelly and the Player character  
> Interactions- Shelly/Player  
> Warnings- None
> 
> It's been so long since I posted anything and I didn't even realise so much time had passed. I got writer's block and then some things happened and before I knew it it'd been almost a whole two months.  
> Anyway, i'm back now.
> 
> The next few drabbles are a lot less serious and a lot more fun in general.

The day had been fairly boring so far, dragging on without anything to spice it up. Shelly threw the last of her work down and looked to the ceiling. It was better when that trainer showed up. At the very least, they had always been fun.

At first, she'd been frustrated and more than a little amused at seeing someone so young and inexperienced dare to challenge her. But she had lost regardless. Shelly had next tried to throw the young trainer off with flirtatious words mixed in with thinly-veiled threats. She had lost again, despite her best efforts.

Once she had taken those losses in, she'd started to realise that maybe her words weren't just words. She'd enjoyed that fight. And she had to admire that trainer for their strength if nothing else.

Besides, their determination was definitely cute.

But she hadn't gotten to see them much, since they'd solved the crisis that was of Team Aqua's own making. She'd been relieved to see them sweep in to save the day, and even a little happy to see them later on, when that other woman attacked them so suddenly…

She hadn't seen her trainer since then.

She understood that they had a life of their own. They might have a job or a school to attend. They were probably just as busy as she was.

The last time she had seen them, when they had returned Archie's Key Stone, they might have mentioned something about that… Something that gave Shelly pause for thought.

It didn't seem like that person really lived in Littleroot Town. In fact, the snippets of their life that Shelly understood made it seem as though they didn't even live in the world she knew.

That was fun in its own way. To find out where this trainer was right now, and how to get there.

As if some ancient magic had been activated, just thinking about such a thing was enough to make it true. An image came to Shelly's mind of that trainer, sitting at their desk in another place, looking every bit as bored as she felt.

A wish was all it took to bring her to their side.

At first, the confusion evident on the young person's face was shared by them both, as the nature of her apparent interdimensional travel was something Shelly had never expected. The person she had apparently ambushed recovered quickest, beginning a round of surprised questioning while Shelly remained slightly awestruck. Once that had worn off, she looked the trainer over, taking in the changes in their appearance before finally deciding to answer their questioning. Sort of.

"Well. You always look so bored. It definitely doesn't suit that cute little face of yours. And I got bored too, so I thought we could be bored together. Or… We could always help to relieve each other's boredom." She explained, adding a wink at the end for maximum effect.

She knew she'd won when she saw the slightly flustered look on their face.

"Aww, look at that. You're even cuter when you make faces like that. It surprises me how somebody who looks so sweet and innocent can be so strong. But that's just what I like so much about you." She continued.

The trainer spluttered slightly, beginning to blush at her words. They seemed to accept the compliment, but were easily caught off guard by the intensity. Shelly smiled easily, stepping closer to her unexpected companion.

"So then. Is there anything in particular you can think of for us to do? I'm sure I can come up with something if not." She continued, adopting a definitely suggestive tone.

She had expected the trainer to blush some more, or maybe mumble out a response. She hadn't expected them to stride forwards and press their lips against hers.

Their sudden surge of initiative and courage was a shock, but it was certainly not unwelcome. Shelly returned the kiss with some passion, pulling away for a moment in order to tease her trainer once more.

"Well, I guess that settles that." She laughed freely. "How much further do you plan on taking this little idea? Not that I mind however far you want to go."

The person before her seemed a little more unsure than a second ago, but still carried a determination that set Shelly's blood on fire. Today was definitely getting interesting.

"If you want me to lead here, I can definitely do that. Why not just come here and let me take care of you?" She suggested, holding out her hand to her partner in the room.

They eased gently into her own embrace, and it was all too easy to take things forwards from there. Slowly. Subtly. And yet still thrillingly.

"We've always been drawn to each other somehow, right?" She pointed out, whispering into the other's ear. "And now, it's just you and me. Right here. You don't need to worry about anything right now. Not when you're with me."

As she moved that trainer backwards, Shelly couldn't help but notice that this wasn't how she'd imagined her day going when she first woke up. But now, she could see how it was going to end, and she wanted nothing more.


	41. The World is Mine (Maxie/Matt)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the end of the day, it couldn't be helped. If there were those out there who couldn't appreciate his greatness, then there was nothing he could do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- The World is Mine  
> Characters- Almost entirely Maxie and Matt  
> Interactions-Maxie/Matt  
> Warnings- None really
> 
> This song's one of those that's a lot of fun and perhaps not all that serious. So this chapter's much the same. I really enjoyed writing it, even if the scenario's just a little bit odd.

It was common knowledge by now (and if it wasn't, it ought to be) that the great Maxie was one of the most important people currently alive in the world. Naturally, anyone who wished to so much as stand in the presence of such a man had to learn their place and what would be expected of them.

In fact, everyone else who had anything to do with him treated Maxie with nothing less than the upmost respect. This alone made the behaviour of his most recent companion nothing short of incredibly frustrating.

For starters, his form of language was simply unacceptable. How someone could even be understood while using such colloquial speech, Maxie didn't know.

Secondly, his lack of boundaries and personal space suggested utter contempt far more than it did reverence and respect.

But above all, he seemed entirely oblivious to everything Maxie had to say. How dare he simply ignore his whims! Did the insolent fool honestly have no idea who he was?

All in all, Maxie wasn't sure why he didn't just part company with this man. He would have to properly chastise Tabitha later for insistently setting him up on dates with strange friends of his friends. He was not lonely!

Certainly not enough to be treated in such a way, at least.

Even now, his supposed date was standing over by one of the exhibits in the museum they were in, not paying him the slightest bit of attention.

"Something particularly earth-shaking?" Maxie asked loudly, trying to draw the man's focus back to him.

"Huh? I dunno, really." Matt replied. "I never really get to see stuff like this though. It's all new to me."

"Hmph." Maxie scoffed. Articles like these were simplistic at best. He'd stopped being interested in such simple matters when he was still in school.

"But uh… If there's something else you wanna do, you just gotta say." His date replied, looking to the ground bashfully.

"As a matter of fact…" Maxie continued, "We were supposed to leave this place no less than ten minutes ago. You should know that I don't appreciate being kept waiting."

"Oh, right. We should really go eat something, right?" Matt assumed, walking fully towards his date. "I didn't mean to just go off without you though. Could always have said something earlier."

As they continued to walk from the area, Matt only kept talking about himself, clearly not having learnt his lesson before. And when Maxie finally managed to steer the conversation towards himself again, Matt silently listened to him instead of stopping to applaud his many exploits. Clearly, he wasn't reading from the same script, and that really had to be rectified.

Of course, he tried his hardest to drop hints as to the behaviour he was willing to accept. But it all seemed to bounce off the head of his companion. It was very hard to be sure if Matt was doing it on purpose or whether he was genuinely that innocent to the way the world worked. But if he couldn't clearly see who was at the centre of everything, Maxie would be sure to remind him until he got the matter right.

Sometime later, once the two of them had moved on yet again, Matt started to ask him various questions, possibly in an attempt to gain an understanding of his true greatness. Most of his answers were relatively simple and in line with what Maxie only assumed anyone would expect; after all, even the great Maxie wasn't as far removed from the rest of society as they might think.

Eventually, they fell more or less silent for a while, a satisfying state of affairs ended when Matt proved once more his inability to stay quiet.

"What are you thinking right now?"

"Me?" Maxie considered the question for a moment before he spoke. "Honesty, I'm thinking about how foolish so many of those around us are."

"Uh… Right." Matt nodded, looking slightly taken aback. He clearly wasn't expecting that.

"It's only natural." Maxie tried to explain. "There aren't many who can match up to someone as outstanding as I. An intellect like this doesn't occur in every person you meet."

"Oh. Maybe. But just because people aren't smart like you, doesn't make them stupid." Matt suggested, looking away.

"Well, perhaps others have their own strengths…" Maxie allowed. "But I don't know how they can stand not knowing everything."

"Because there's stuff that people value more than knowledge." Matt pointed out.

"Incredible. So that's how the rest of the world lives…" Maxie honestly found it hard to believe. What could possibly be more important to the world at large?

"There have to be things that you can't do. That's how people are." Matt pressed.

"If there are things that I'm not perfect at, they are not important." Maxie argued, sighing deeply. This definitely wasn't going well at all. This man seemed completely oblivious to the greatness that stood before him. Maybe it was hopeless.

It seemed to Maxie as though he was simply coming off as selfish and arrogant. Clearly, those weren't seen as desirable traits. At the same time, this entire affair was exhausting. Perhaps, if he made his way home, and gave this specific man some space, he could prove that entire narrative untrue. Besides, the distance would probably serve to give the younger man a chance to reflect on his true genius.

He turned back to Matt, to find that the man was distracted by a Skitty that had crawled onto a nearby bench. Maxie simply turned around and started to walk. If he wasn't paying attention anyway, then he might as well just leave.

In his own head, he aimed barbs at the world around him as he walked. This world, that was so full of people who seemed intent on ignoring his talents, who remained so foolish while daring to act as though he was the self-absorbed one. Like he was the one who refused to pay attention to anything.

The next second, Maxie was caught around the waist and lifted out of the road, seconds before a truck hurtled past.

"See? People have more value than you think. They save you from getting run over when you're stuck in your head." Matt laughed, sounding more relieved than angry. "You know, you're a funny guy. But I like you despite your little quirks."

On the outside, Maxie scoffed. On the inside, he thought that just perhaps, this man may actually be more interesting than he had first thought. Perhaps this entire thing wasn't as bad as it had at first seemed.


	42. I’ll Miku Miku you (Archie/Tabitha)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU where Team Magma exist only as computer programmes. Upon realising his own sentience, Tabitha wonders over what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- I'll Miku-Miku You  
> Characters- Archie, Tabitha, and Matt  
> Interactions- Sort of pre- Archie/Tabitha.  
> Warnings- None
> 
> This song. Seriously. 
> 
> This is the shortest song in the game, and the first I got a perfect rank on in F2nd (completely by accident too, and after getting 1 Safe on more songs than I know, which is really frustrating).
> 
> Honestly, i'm not entirely sure how to translate the core meaning of the song to any other context, so this one might be a little random.

He wasn't entirely sure when he came into being or when he was first fully aware of it. But even in his earliest memories, Tabitha had always been within the same environment contained within the computer screen. The computer's owner stared in at him from the outside day after day, and Tabitha was left staring out at the same slice of world.

As far as he could tell, nobody on the outside was aware that he was self-aware, so all hope of striking up conversation had been lost long ago. The best Tabitha could do was continue to observe the man on the other side of the screen go about his daily life, and watch the computer system around him, lifeless as it was, bend entirely to his will.

On one such day however, everything happened to change.

The human in the outside world tried to operate the programme that Tabitha had inherently evolved from, and that action alone seemed to cause him to become visible, if the expression on the man's face was anything to go by.

"Now what are you, little guy?" He asked, leaning in slightly closer to the monitor.

"I appear to be a being who exists beyond the boundaries of known science." Tabitha started to explain. "In fact, not even I know the exact circumstances of… Hey!"

"Aww, you're a cute little guy." The man spoke, picking Tabitha up using the cursor and dragging him around the screen.

"Hey, what are you… I am not cute! Put me down!" Tabitha protested.

"Hey Matt! Check this out! I've got a little guy in my computer, like one of those screen buddy things. And he talks!" The man shouted at the world beyond his view. There was a thundering of footsteps before a second man appeared in front of the screen.

"Whoa, look at that bro! What a funny little man that is in there!" The second man agreed.

"Yeah, he sure is tiny… Wonder how small you'd be exactly if we got you out of there, huh little guy?" The first man continued.

"I am not small!" Tabitha argued. "Why you… You're just giant!"

"Sure, whatever you say. So, do ya have a name?" The usual human asked.

"Tabitha." The virtual being answered.

"Tabitha. Well nice to meet ya. I'm Archie, and this is Matt." The computer's owner greeted. "So, do anything interesting Tabitha? Sing or dance maybe?"

"I do neither of those things! I already have a function. You started my programme; you should know it." Tabitha pouted.

"Can't ya at least interface between the other programmes and make them run a little faster? This thing's way too slow." Archie complained.

"Why should I?" Tabitha retorted.

"I dunno. It's not like you got much else to do. If we could get you outta the computer, you could just live with us and do people stuff. But we can't, and I dunno what else computer programmes do with their time." Archie defended himself.

"It is true that there's not a lot else for me to do… And just sitting around in here is boring." Tabitha weighed up. "If nothing else, I can at least teach you how to actually run these programmes. You hardly have your computer fully optimised."

"Heh, so my screen buddy giving me advice… I can live with that." Archie summed up. "Anyway, welcome aboard. Guess this is the start of a long, successful friendship."

"Friendship? What's that?" Tabitha questioned.

In many ways, there was still a lot to learn.


	43. A Thousand Year Solo (Commandershipping)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> XY/ORAS crossover AU. It was definitely true that immortality granted many things. Unfortunately, chief among them was an infinite number of regrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- A Thousand Year Solo  
> Characters- Team Magma, Team Aqua and Team Flare  
> Interactions- Commandershipping for definite, other pairings possibly implied depending on how you see it.  
> Warnings- Death. Lots and lots of death.
> 
> After the last few chapters of general fun, it's back to the straight angst with this one.
> 
> I've seen people headcanon Maxie and Lysandre as friends before, but wondered over the implications over the course of their stories, especially seeing as Maxie shows signs of remorse for his actions and attempts to reform in the end, while Lysandre clearly never does.

Geosenge Town had already fallen into ruin, the people having fled decades ago following that terrible day.

Shelly entered that scene, alone with her own thoughts. It had definitely changed. The buildings were beginning to fall apart, nature reclaiming the spot that had once been bustling with human civilisation. Such a thing was to be expected after the passing of so much time.

But that mound of earth in the centre of town still refused to change. And Shelly herself remained no different, even as the rest of the world moved on. Even as it started to forget.

She didn't forget. There was no way she could. The truth haunted her wherever she went, but it always grew more acute whenever she returned to the desolate scene. Here, memories flowed freely, and it felt almost as though she could see him once again, if such a thing were even possible.

"You know… It's boring without you around." She spoke out loud. "Nobody else ever speaks to me the way you did."

As she looked up to the pile of twisted rubble, she knew it would be no use. Nobody would ever reply to her. And the regret would chase her for the rest of eternity.

She'd known all too well of his desire to make the world a better place. All they'd found in the end was immortality. And it was a rotten prize to accept when it meant losing somebody she'd loved so much.

Almost a hundred years ago, Team Magma had begun to associate with a different team from somewhere far away. Team Aqua had been reconciling with them at the time, so she'd been openly able to ask Tabitha about it. He'd told her that it was to do with Maxie, and an old friend he'd known long ago.

He'd kept her fully informed after that, detailing the work they were carrying out to improve the lives of everyone. It had sounded plain and noble enough, so she had gone for months without worrying at all about it, largely choosing to focus on other things whenever she had spent time with her boyfriend.

Years later still, their mysterious project had been nearing completion, and most of Team Magma had taken off on a trip to Kalos to oversee the final stages. Tabitha had told her of his intention to return within weeks, and of the name of the man they were to meet.

She had researched the name 'Lysandre' along with Archie and Matt, and although nothing terrible had emerged, something hadn't felt right, and unease had settled over them all.

When they'd learned of the existence of Team Flare, it had started to slot into place. They made to follow after their Hoenn counterparts, but arrived to a world of fear.

Team Flare had promised to revive that ancient weapon and sacrifice a large portion of humanity in order to grant its own members eternal life.

Shelly had been unable to believe the truth, not wanting to believe that Tabitha could ever have been involved in something so horrible. With nothing else to do, she travelled to Geosenge Town, Matt and Archie still following beside her.

Sneaking into the base had been the easy part. Fighting their way down into the depths had been exceptionally hard with just the three of them. But upon reaching the final room, she had been glad that the grunts had been left behind.

At first, she only saw Maxie alone, deep in argument with the leader of Team Flare himself. But as she drew closer, she saw his admins flanking him, and other members of Team Magma scattered around, preparing for a fight.

"This doesn't come close to what we agreed! How could you betray us like this?" Magma's Leader had fumed, staring straight ahead.

"I needed your expertise. And I knew you wouldn't agree any other way." Lysandre quipped. "But believe me Maxie, this is for the best. A utopia cannot exist while the world's population remains at such an unsustainable level. The only way to make a perfect world… Is to remove all those who would threaten it."

"There must be another way. I won't just let you kill innocent people over this!" Maxie growled, stepping forwards.

"If that's the way you really feel… You leave me with no choice but to eliminate you as well." Lysandre stated, looking genuinely torn for a second before sending out his own Pokémon.

"Don't you dare!" Archie yelled at that moment, running into the fray.

Team Magma had leapt into battle alongside them in that moment, taking on Lysandre and Team Flare and soon beginning to attempt to disable the ultimate weapon itself, cutting the power cables and trying to dismantle the main systems. It seemed to be working, as the machine evidently lost its glow, pausing in its imminent operation.

Tabitha had noticed her in the crowd, and had smiled in her direction in triumph. Lysandre only laughed.

"You've done much. But the weapon still functions." He spoke, striking icy daggers into Shelly's heart. "This machine… I could still fire it over the radius of the town. I can show you its true power!"

"No!" Shelly had cried, running forwards. Tabitha had jumped down onto the base of the machine, trying to tear at the plating, struggling to find a way to shut it off entirely.

There had been a bright flash of light, and everything had faded away.

She'd woken up, which she hadn't expected. But upon crawling out of the rubble, she'd learned that all of Team Magma had perished underground.

Even decades later, she had remained unchanged. She had no idea why she'd been saved. At least there was consolation in the confirmation of Lysandre's death. And the knowledge that she still was not alone.

"I figured I'd find you here." A voice emerged behind her, and she turned to see Archie approaching her carefully. "It's like you can't stay away."

"Of course I'm here." She replied. "I have to remember them."

"I know. It still hurts. We failed, and we lost some good friends in there." Archie sighed. "I know. That doesn't mean you need to keep returning here."

"It's worse." Shelly argued. "The world outside continues to forget. It's as though Team Magma never even existed…"

"But we won't forget. We'll remember them forever." Archie reassured her, placing his hands onto her shoulders. "We're still here. In a way, they'll never die. Maybe that's what we're even here for." He hugged her properly, still remaining surprisingly gentle. "Your boyfriend's still with you. He'll always be."

Shelly knew he was right. Even if she didn't want to, she'd carry the memory of what happened forever. Even when the world forgot and moved on, they'd always still remain. And her regret and her pain would likely always stay with her, wrapped up in good and bad memories alike.

"Matt's waiting at the edge of town." Archie elaborated. "Let's go see him already, yeah?"

"Yeah." Shelly nodded, starting to follow her friend.

As she left, she could only agree that although she would never see him again, she would carry him in her heart always.


	44. Pinky Swear (Courtney)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU where Team Magma is like an actual gang. Some methods of communication were impossible to misunderstand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Pinky Swear (Yubikiri)  
> Characters- Courtney, Tabitha, and Maxie  
> Interactions- Very unhealthy and quite possibly one sided Authorityshipping  
> Warnings- Brief mentions of self-mutilation and an overall dark tone
> 
> The PV for this one seems to evoke a lot of feelings.  
> I've seen a lot of people talk about prostitution and falling in love with clients... But for me, it also made me think of the yubitsume ritual as done by the Yakuza. I sort of combined both ideas here.
> 
> It is only the tip of the finger that's cut off. Not normally the whole thing. And somebody of Courtney's rank could probably get out of such a punishment, but I figure she'd be the type to go through with it anyway. 
> 
> I'm not sure if Maxie is uninterested or if he's just so oblivious to love that he doesn't notice what's going on.

Tucked away within the confines of their base, Courtney mulled over the orders she had been given. It had seemed like such an easy task, coming from the mouth of her boss.

But to her, it was anything but.

All she had ever wanted was to be the perfect and devoted underling. She had undertaken every task, every whim of their leader with nothing but respect and with no questions asked. She was one of their best workers- he said himself that he always turned to her to get a job done.

Along the way, that devotion had turned into something more. She found a little more than mere joy at being able to serve him. The feelings that she had begun to develop ran far deeper than that.

Suddenly, she found herself noticing every small and troublesome thing. The way his eyes lingered on some of the women in the streets. The compliments he gave to others. Everything became tinged with a regret and jealousy more intense than Courtney had ever felt before. She found herself irritated that Maxie would ever look upon someone other than herself, his clear and present favourite. She became more and more willing to do anything. Anything at all, in order to turn his attention entirely upon herself.

Tabitha had spelled it out for her plainly when she'd tried to speak to him- this was what a romantic interest felt like, plain and simple. To him it seemed nothing other than a nuisance, and he reminded her over and over not to let it affect her. To Courtney, it felt far more tangible than all that. This was not a mere crush. This had to be true love. Nothing else could make her feel so plainly wretched.

At his suggestion, she'd tried to involve herself in other relationships. But all seemed doomed to failure, as her love grew into an obsession. Soon it became evidently apparent to everyone else within their group- and to anyone outside who she tried to court. And before long, Courtney found that she had no interest in the lives of other people in any case.

Trying once more to forget the feelings that those around her saw as such a liability, Courtney doubled her devotion to her work. Pleasing Maxie was the only thing that could heal her heavy heart.

Whatever the task, she took it without delay. She happily entrusted herself with work that was clearly far below someone of her rank. The dirty dealings and shady goings-on of their operation had never fazed her before, and they did so even less now. Whatever it was that Maxie needed done, Courtney was there to enact. It was enough to keep her close to her leader and keep her mind squarely on the work related matters that everyone insisted were most important.

Naturally, she was bound to slip up eventually, close enough to him as she was.

It was obvious that eventually he would become aware of the meanings apparent in her most recent actions, let alone the loaded comments that she occasionally made, and Courtney knew better than to assume he would remain oblivious to the reason for her devotion forever. When he called her aside to discuss this in person, she knew that he had finally figured everything out.

"I do not know the origin of these peculiar feelings that you hold." He started, striking ice into her heart. "But your increasingly risky behaviour is a liability. I suggest that whatever it is that you harbour within your heart, you work to forget immediately."

She had accepted his terms at the time, walking away to attend to her duties. But within her mind there was only turmoil. For Maxie to simply shoot her down as if it didn't matter at all was painful. It felt as if there was a chance that he really didn't understand after all.

She considered her new orders for days, trying her best despite her heartache to put them into action. But she had already been trying such before Maxie had spoken to her. Now that he had, Courtney found herself even less able to forget.

Nobody around her believed that her love was true. Not Tabitha, not the others, not Maxie. But she was still willing to believe. She knew of an old tradition used as a proof of love, and of an archaic punishment for lack of obedience. With both meanings intersecting in such a way, she knew she had no other choice. It was the perfect response to her situation.

She had to make them understand. The only way she knew how.

When she arrived at the meeting the next day, Courtney greeted everyone in the usual fashion, trying to pretend not to notice that all eyes were on her. Tabitha was horrified, countless others seemed enraged, and Maxie's face was unreadable.

Through the bandage around her hand, blood still seeped.


	45. Cantarella (Authorityshipping)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some sort of nobility AU. He was going to get her back, whatever he had to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Cantarella  
> Characters-Maxie and Courtney  
> Interactions- Authorityshipping  
> Warnings- Characters getting drugged. This is /not/ a healthy relationship, do not aspire to this.
> 
> So yeah.  
> Cantarella is for me and I think for a lot of people one of those songs you listen to when you've first found vocaloid, and maybe because you're young and naive and edgy or maybe because you like the music and don't want to admit the song has flaws, you shrug off the song's darker meaning and kinda. Rave over it. Then a few years later, you go back to it and realise it's seriously problematic. And that's putting it lightly.
> 
> Anyway, this ended up being another story featuring these two because I seem to default here for some reason. Tabitha was meant to be in this initially too but he sort of. Disappeared. Which given the song might be for the best.
> 
> Zoozbuh did a nice English version of this on youtube by the way.

The mystery of a masquerade ball was the best place to fantasise about lost love. Courtney allowed herself the chance to reminisce on that which had once been, while still bearing out a faint hope that somewhere among the blank faces that surrounded her, her beloved awaited, there to take her away once more.

History was just about to catch up with her.

The anonymity of the party gave Maxie the perfect opportunity. He doubted that he was still recognisable to the people of the manor after the amount of time that had passed, but it wasn't a risk that he was willing to take. At the very least, the people he met didn't see through his disguise. He moved between their ranks, searching for the familiar sight of one particular woman.

Despite the time that had passed, she remained as distinctive as ever.

Under his guise, he was able to finally approach her, after so long apart. They took to dancing together, and the sparks that had flown between them so long ago returned as if it had been mere seconds. Although he couldn't tell if she remembered him or not, Maxie could tell that Courtney was as captivated by him as she had always been.

As they moved around the floor together, others parted in their wake, and the connection between them felt truer than any Maxie had felt in the time they had been apart.

All too soon though, they were forced to part ways, as the shifting nature of the ball dragged them from each other.

Maxie knew that he would get her back soon enough, whatever methods he had to use.

Knowing that, and seeing her so close, was its own type of torture. Every man who offered her a passing glance and every partner with whom she danced was yet another source of jealousy. He vowed to have her all to himself, before others threatened to turn her gaze away.

As the evening drew on, he returned to her once more, trying to act as casual as he could despite the fire that grew within his heart. He offered a hand towards her yet again, and they danced for what felt like eternity. Maxie could feel Courtney's intrigue towards him growing the longer they spent together, but still didn't want to risk having her slip away again. He turned, still holding her hand, and whisked her off into the crowd, soon vanishing within the hallways of the mansion.

"We should hasten to somewhere more… Private." He told her, keeping a firm grasp on her fingers.

She only smiled, grasping his hand tighter and following along without a word.

A secluded table away from prying eyes made for the perfect place to sit and talk, and servants brought wine before too long had passed. The two of them worked their way through simple talk about their lives without acknowledging their shared past, and Maxie began to grow impatient, convinced that she had forgotten him.

As Courtney turned away, staring out of the nearby window at the scenery, Maxie leaned over to her side of the table, taking a small bottle secretly from his pocket and slipping the contents inside. He slipped it into his sleeve as she turned back around, but couldn't retract his hand in time, and Courtney caught his fingers in both her hands, staring knowingly towards him.

"You…" She began, and Maxie thought for a moment that she had seen straight through him, before she moved her left hand towards her glass and sipped it without caution.

"After all this time…" She continued, returning her attention to him. "Is it really…?"

A voice calling down the corridor to them cut their conversation off, as one of the servants arrived with some pointless question. Guilt sprang up momentarily, as Maxie began to suspect that she had remembered him after all. But it was too late to go back, and the continued presence of the servants made him uneasy. They had to be alone from that very moment if he was to avoid getting caught.

Courtney waved the servants away after several minutes, leaving them finally alone. She picked up her glass and stared at it for a moment, their previous conversation seemingly forgotten.

"The ball… Was getting rather too crowded." She decided.

"Indeed. I don't know how anyone copes with the presence of so many others." Maxie agreed, trying to stop their conversation from returning to the topics of earlier.

It kept his guilt from returning.

The glasses each of them held grew empty over time, as their conversation continued on more mundane topics. Courtney was never a fount of speech, but she grew even quieter as the night drew on, starting to visibly slump over the table as time went on.

Her eyes were drooping as she stared back towards him, finally seeming to return to the purposeful speech she had shown earlier.

"Maxie… You…"

She swallowed her words as she finally fell unconscious, Maxie catching her before she could hit the table. Afraid of anyone discovering them, he gathered her quickly into his arms and hurried through the corridors and away.

Even after the years that had passed, he knew the way to her bedroom as if it were his own. Maxie placed Courtney down on her own bed and thought over what to do next.

He hadn't expected to even get this far, nor for her to truly remember him. He was torn between carrying on and running away again.

Their past together had been long and happy. Growing up in such a closed circle of society as they had, Courtney had been one of Maxie's earliest friends, and something resembling a younger sister to him. Wherever he tried to go, she was always following behind, like his personal shadow.

She had kissed him first, on a day that felt like an eternity ago, and from there they had fallen into a passionate but secret romance.

The folly of youth led to their own downfall, and they didn't protect themselves as well as they should have. Their parents found out soon enough, and they were torn apart, Maxie being sent away to avoid causing more shame.

He'd vowed to return, and so there he stood. But he quickly realised that this hadn't been at all what he had wanted. He'd expected to regain the love he had known, using whatever means were necessary. But if that wouldn't make Courtney happy, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

So he turned away, ashamed of his own actions. He started to walk towards the door when he felt himself being embraced from behind.

"You really came back…" Courtney murmured, pulling him as close to her as she could.

Although clearly still unsteady on her feet, she dragged Maxie back towards the bed, falling down together with him with a pleased sigh and holding him against her chest.

Maxie shifted around to face Courtney, moving his hands to her shoulders, staring into her now open eyes.

As they kissed for the first time in years, and moved on to more adventurous things, they were happy to have found each other once again.


	46. Hello, Worker (Shelly)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AS universe. Sometimes she wondered who exactly they would be once life was done tearing them down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Hello, Worker  
> Characters- Mostly Shelly. Archie and Matt are referenced  
> Interactions- Nothing important  
> Warnings- None
> 
> I always wonder a little about Shelly and Tabitha in the context of the games. They're stated to be at least partially responsible for the creation of the Magma/Aqua Suit and Tabitha in particular is stated to be only 27. That kind of engineering knowledge would normally require a degree of some description, and they also supposedly worked for Devon for a while? Those guys have been busy.
> 
> So I headcanon that they were working for Devon and for Team Aqua/Magma at the same time. Maybe it was their day job in the early days when they didn't have so much of a big operation going on with their teams so had to rely on other things. This song seems to be to be about someone stuck in the barest of entry level jobs, unable to progress, to find anything more worthwhile, and wondering in general what their purpose/worth is, as the dreams of the past seem to become so unobtainable. So I figured it kind of fit.

Day to day, life went on just the same. Archie continued to speak of big plans and grand ambitions. But she was still stuck working in her mundane job, just trying to get by. It wasn't like she doubted him. She just wondered how long all of this was meant to take.

At least the others around her had stopped viewing her as a complete beginner. She was getting recognised around work and people were beginning to rely on her. Shelly was hopeful that she could soon rise up to a higher level of responsibility; she was being driven stir crazy working away at such simple tasks.

Perhaps Archie and Matt were having an easier time with whatever it was they were doing these days. Maybe Archie would actually have some concrete plans for the team soon so she'd have something exciting to put her mind towards.

For now, she could only continue working towards whatever projects the higher-ups at Devon assigned her to. And while her co-workers were starting to understand her, her bosses still seemed to view her as incapable of a challenge.

"Just keep at it, it'll fall into place." Archie had tried to reassure her. They were nice words, and she tried to believe them.

All in all though, Shelly wished she could find work more stimulating, or that she could do something more productive with her time. Such was the snag of still being an entry level researcher. Hard work seemed irrelevant in determining who moved up the ranks; it seemed far more to be about who you knew or who you were able to make a good impression upon. She worked as hard as she could and tried to be as accommodating as possible. It was exhausting. But her efforts seemed to get her nowhere.

Sometimes, it was as if people criticised her for the tiniest things, or gave out feedback that made no sense. Perhaps she needed to work on her charisma. Or put in a complaint about some of the worst offenders.

Worse seemed to be those who were convinced that she would never be good enough. There were definitely those within the institution who felt that a young person, and a woman no less, was better kept down the bottom of the hierarchy. No matter how hard she worked, those around her were always determined to find faults.

One day, Shelly considered packing it all in. She came home too frustrated, too worn out. She wasn't even sure why she was still trying so hard. She didn't even know what she was struggling for. She'd just have to quit. There were plenty of other places she could work, and Archie would understand. Maybe he'd even have things figured out soon, so she could work towards the team full time.

She hoped that Archie and Matt weren't getting as trodden down as she was. She feared for what would become of them all if that were the case. If they were all destroyed, and the things that were important to them were taken away…

She wasn't going to stand for it. If she had to get out to avoid that fate, she would.

Archie seemed reluctant to accept her resolve, and suggested that she give it another day. Although she didn't want to, Shelly went along with his request. As she steeled herself to enter work once again, she began to think about the course of their lives.

They'd started out with such big dreams, but everything was proving harder than they could ever have thought. Maybe it was youthful ignorance, or perhaps the world had it in for them. Shelly wasn't sure how much more it would take to make their plans a reality. Everything seemed to be moving so slowly that she wasn't sure it would be finished at all.

Perhaps the realities of adult life would drag them down so much that there would be nothing left of the promises that they had once made.

If that was the case, it explained why Archie wanted her to stick at things. She needed a back-up plan to turn to with her life. That didn't mean she necessarily wanted to stay where she was.

With that kind of resolve, she got into work, finding that everyone around her seemed just the same as they usually were, the same as they always had been.

When she got into the morning meeting, one of the managers handed her the file for an upcoming project. Another one. Shelly wasn't looking forwards to another mundane task, but made sure to make no indication of her feelings. Even if she was planning on quitting, she didn't want to burn all her bridges on the way out.

When the meeting was adjourned, she took a quick look at the file, at least a little curious as to what she was expected to do. Inside, she found the details of an assignment more interesting than she could have hoped for. This field of research… Was exactly what she'd been wanting to get into.

Such a thing made it easier to stay. And it pleased Archie, because it was both something that made her happy and something that was relevant to them and their future. It started to crystallise their plans into something that for the first time actually looked feasible instead of a dream created by a few naïve teenagers.

That alone made the entire thing worth it.


	47. Hide and Seek (Magma+ Aqua)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Combined OR/AS. Trying to hide from your fate was something that never went well for anybody, but there were always those who were willing to try and those who refused to go gently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Hide and Seek  
> Characters- Archie, Shelly, Matt, Maxie, Tabitha, Courtney (and assorted underlings)  
> Interactions- As well as the usual intra-team loyalty, there's some cross-team 'recognitions' that could be read as something. Or nothing. However you want to look at it.  
> Warnings- Lots and lots of character deaths in (some) detail
> 
> AKA 'Pokemon Generations Episode 8: extended edition'  
> Obviously none of the episodes of generations are long. But episode 8 just seemed so abrupt in my opinion. I figured the characters would all just fight a little harder than that. So with Halloween around the corner, I wrote this little 'horror' edition to stretch out their futile struggle for their lives.
> 
> Tranquilraven was the one who actually introduced me to this song (and made me perform it with her for a talent show), so you also have her to thank for this. Lizz Robinett does a good English cover also.

Oscillating waves of scorching heat and driving rain made the atmosphere outside a completely alien world. Most of Hoenn was already undergoing an evacuation procedure, while the League scrambled to find a solution to the entirely man-made crisis that threatened the viability of the region itself.

The abandoned cargo port near Mossdeep City made for a poor shelter, but it was as good a place in that moment as any, and it allowed Team Aqua to reunite for the first time since the crisis had started.

"So… What now?" Matt questioned, staring at the worsening maelstrom outside.

"We have to get outta here." Archie stated.

"Out past Kyogre then. That's the problem." Shelly assessed. "Still. The longer we wait, the more likely it is to reach land here…"

A sudden crash and a colossal roar stole everyone's attention, and panicked grunts started to run in every direction.

"Where to Shelly?" Archie demanded, grabbing his Admin's arm frantically.

"As far away from this water as we can get!" She responded, taking Archie and Matt by their hands and sprinting away from the berths of the mighty ships that once serviced the whole island.

The small walkway that led back to land seemed to be the best place to head, but that plan was scuppered before they could even reach it, as a soaring wave washed the entire structure away, leaving them marooned. Kyogre drew up between the land and the now floating port, one huge eye glaring in their direction.

"On second thoughts… Just up!" Shelly panicked, swearing under her breath as the three of them fled back inside.

The window of the upstairs office area broke away under the force of the unyielding fire, allowing Team Magma to climb inside. Maxie was worried, even though Tabitha had formed a solid plan and Courtney seemed oblivious to their failure. Groudon had already made land here.

The sea seemed like a fine place to run to, but part of him wondered if it was enough.

A roar shook the building, and powerful, muffled footsteps reverberated around the room.

"Alright grunts, split up and survey!" Tabitha commanded. "We'll meet back here in ten minutes. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" The rest of Team Magma chorused, filing off in an organised manner and leaving Tabitha alone with Courtney and Maxie.

"There must be somewhere more secure than this…" Maxie considered.

"It's… Not safe." Courtney surmised. At first, Tabitha thought she was merely concerned about the precarious nature of the structure given that the walkway back to land had collapsed into the sea shortly after their arrival. But her eyes were fixed on something tangible, and he followed her gaze to see sharp claws digging their way through the outside wall.

They had already been found.

"Retreat!" Tabitha advised, picking the direction that seemed most likely to lead them away from that external wall, and herding Courtney and Maxie before him.

As they ran, confused and anguished screams became audible in the confines of the hallways.

"Team Aqua." Maxie recognised. "Those certainly don't sound like our own people."

"Is Groudon attacking?" Courtney wondered. "Or… Kyogre?"

"If they're both here." Tabitha summed up. "We're in trouble."

The metal under their feet made large booming noises as they ran, and they twisted and turned through the various rooms endlessly. Tabitha started to grow tired, but he knew that stopping meant accepting death.

They had no choice but to keep running.

After what felt like hours, Shelly burst through a door on the other side of the port and up a long flight of stairs, Archie and Matt still following. They'd heard the cries and pleas for help of their own over the radio, but hadn't been able to help. They hadn't even known how to start looking for them.

As she reached the top of the stairs, Shelly heard a loud crash and the sound of a frantic battle echoing around the walls. Before she had a chance to even wonder who it was, there was a cry of anguish and a roar, and the area grew silent once more. Archie and Matt joined her at the top of the stairs, and it was then that Shelly realised their mistake.

They had reached a balcony, and some twenty feet below them the sea still churned, angry and black. Knowing they had to leave immediately, Shelly rushed across the balcony, skirting along the wall. The door on the other side refused to budge.

"No!" She screamed, as Matt rushed over and tried to break the opening down. Archie turned back towards the stairs they had ascended, but they collapsed away as Kyogre appeared, conjuring another humungous wave.

"It's too late." Archie commented, watching as Kyogre reared up to attack.

"No!" Shelly repeated, stepping forwards. She chose her strongest Pokémon and prepared to fight, Matt joining her.

"In it till the end bro." He reminded Archie.

"Right. Together then crew." Archie accepted, preparing for the final fight.

Normal Pokémon were no match for a legendary titan.

A horrifying scream stopped Maxie in his tracks, and Tabitha turned towards the wall the sound had emanated from.

A door stood at one end, the key stuck in their side. Tabitha unlocked the door and opened it a crack… Then immediately slammed it again, already wishing he could unsee the scene.

"What's wrong?" Courtney asked.

"Kyogre." Tabitha euphemised. "We're trapped."

"Archie…" Maxie breathed.

The wall behind them gave way in the next moment, and to Tabitha's surprise, the outside air filtered in. Groudon stared eerily at the group, molten eyes unflinching in their resolve.

"Leader Maxie! We have to fight!" He defaulted, seeing no other choice.

"How can we?!" Maxie exclaimed. "There's no way we can win! Team Aqua are already…"

"I can't. Just die here!" Courtney screeched, cutting him off mid-sentence. The two admins of Team Magma sent out their Pokémon and turned to their leader.

"Very well." Maxie agreed. "We can only try to struggle for our own lives."

Groudon brushed their Pokémon aside as if they were mere toys. Wave after wave were knocked out within a single attack. His team already exhausted, Maxie could only look on as Groudon turned on his friends. Courtney was plucked from the ground by one massive claw, her legs kicking in all directions as she tried to free herself.

"No. I can't…!" She cried.

"Courtney!" Maxie roared, charging towards Groudon. He couldn't stand by and let his friends be killed…!

Groudon barely seemed to notice the wreckless attack on its leg, only turning its face down to regard Maxie for a moment before bringing its other hand down to crush him.

Unable to breathe, the edges of his vision already blackening, Maxie was left looking through the gaps between the Legendary Pokémon's claws. Groudon lifted Courtney higher, holding her just in front of its face as its teeth slowly parted.

Her struggling grew frantic and Maxie tried to reach towards her as his eyes gave out entirely.

Just before everything faded away, he heard a horrifying roar, terrified yells, and a sickening crunching noise.

Backed up against the wall, now entirely alone, Tabitha tried desperately to find a way out.

There was nowhere to run.


	48. The Intense Voice of Hatsune Miku (Ensemble)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to 'The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku'. At the end of it all, there was no sorrow, only joy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- The Intense Voice of Hatsune Miku (The Intense Song/Singing of Hatsune Miku)  
> Characters- Team Aqua, Team Magma, Steven, and mentions of the player character  
> Interactions- Lots and lots of friendship  
> Warnings- None really
> 
> This one's somewhat of a sequel to the Disappearance of Hatsune Miku, and serves to bring a measure of hope to the bad ending there. As Sun and Moon get closer to release, I feel that the message becomes even more heartfelt. Hoenn is my favourite region, and I plan to hold these games within my heart for a long time as yet.

In the final moments, there was only peace.

And then suddenly, joy.

The last thing anyone had expected to feel at their impending demise. In that inky void, a single thought remained.

'I'm so glad to have met you.'

Even if it had only been for a short while, they had still existed. They had seen so much, and had so many experiences, and made connections with so many people. Including that trainer, who could still be out there, somewhere beyond all of this.

If they had that thought alone, there was nothing else they needed.

Those who had gathered for the end wondered if they would ever be reborn, in another world at another time. Whether that trainer would return to a universe entirely changed. They wondered if the other versions of themselves would reach the answer as slowly as they did.

A wish was made, for those in the new world to be able to truly appreciate the time they had with that shining person they had all known. It floated away, into nothingness.

And then, after far too long, the wish came true.

In a new world, the adventure was lived once again. The people of that world, of that Hoenn, were blessed with a trainer who cared for them and for their region as much as the trainer of the old world had. For a long time after the inception of a reimagined future, everyone involved was happy.

But over time, doubts grew within the hearts of those who inhabited the world. Would things really stay so perfect forever? Sooner or later, that trainer was bound to leave for a new adventure. What would become of them then?

Wouldn't they just be forgotten about and left to fade away?

Maxie had been reluctant to trust that trainer for that very reason. He knew that the rest of Team Magma, and indeed Team Aqua, felt similarly. There was no point in growing to care someone who would only leave you.

But in the end, that trainer eventually won them over. Their supporting nature and the way in which they came through for the region, saving not just Hoenn itself, but even those like Maxie, over and over.

If that trainer could save them from themselves even though they had no reason to, then Team Aqua and Team Magma felt the least they could offer was friendship.

As they fought alongside each other in the future, those bonds only grew.

The thought that it would all come to an end made Steven feel more than a little sad. Even after he had taken up training in earnest once again, and begun travelling around the region at will, he still crossed paths with the young person more than once.

He didn't want to believe that the friendship between them meant nothing.

The intermingling of friendship and a worry for the future was eventually brought to its conclusion on one fateful day. As if manipulated by fate, Team Aqua met Team Magma on a cliff in Lilycove City completely by chance. A sense of déjà vu surrounded the gathered, only increased by the arrival of another figure.

"You're all here too." Steven commented, squaring off to the two groups.

"Steven Stone. Somehow, I'm not surprised to see you." Maxie greeted, a puzzled look on his face.

"We've… Been here before." Courtney voiced.

It was at that moment that the memories of the past world made themselves known; images of another universe with a terrible end that flowed into the heads of the gathered people, trying to enforce the idea that there was no hope.

"Wha…? Is this the way it's supposed to end?" Shelly questioned. "No way!"

The images continued to swirl around, depicting the dying memories of a long-doomed timeline.

But right as the cacophony of despair threatened to override the hope and defiance of the gathered trainers of the new world, a message arrived, tacked to the end of a memory of death.

'This… This isn't sad. Don't be sad.'

"Don't be sad…" Archie considered. "Yeah. Who cares about what some vision says. There's no saying any of that stuff'll actually happen!"

"Even if it did, it all seems incredibly far away." Tabitha analysed. "There's simply no use in looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives, waiting for an inevitable end. How could we ever live like that?"

"Right bro! Everything's gotta die someday. It's how we live that makes the difference!" Matt agreed. "Who cares about the future? Live in the now!"

The visions around them melted away as the resolve of Team Magma and Team Aqua improved.

"Perhaps… This is the answer they wanted." Steven decided. "If that's true, then for now we only need to appreciate what we have."

"Exactly." Maxie nodded.

It was obvious that the rest of the group was in full agreement.

When Hoenn's newest Champion awoke the next morning, they found a large group of the friends they had made, gathered to meet them.

To truly thank them for everything they had done.

Buoyed by their friends' enthusiasm, that trainer could only smile.

From then on, many more happy memories were founded with the trainer, as all those who had doubted realised the importance of spending time with them in the moment, without latching onto the worries about the future that had placed an unconscious strain on their relationship before.

Undoubtedly, the end would come one day. But nobody cared about that any longer.

There was one thought that remained common. One thought that would always remain.

'I could meet you at this moment. That is enough.'

Nothing mattered other than that.

And even if they did fade, the bonds they had formed would surely still survive somewhere.

Most likely, within the heart of that trainer.


	49. Sakura Rain (Player+ Steven)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No matter where they went onto after this, they would surely still remain friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Sakura Rain  
> Characters- Player Character, Steven, and Wallace  
> Interactions- Fairly platonic (probably) player/Steven  
> Warnings- None
> 
> It's completely the wrong time of year for this, but with Sun/Moon around the corner I thought it was appropriate.
> 
> The full version of this song was used. It's kinda long but it's really emotional.

The news had been like a bolt from the blue.

After everything that had happened, they could almost certainly be considered friends. The hardships and challenges that they had faced together stood as proof of that. It had seemed fair enough to assume that whatever happened to either of them from now on, they would tell each other.

Given that, why had he tried to leave, with nothing other than a letter left behind?

It felt like a betrayal. It didn't make any sense. It inspired panic within that young trainer. What sort of friend just leaves like that?

Memories returned to the young person unbidden, as they recalled everything they'd been through on their long journey, and the ways in which their paths had crossed over so many times.

A letter delivered to a cave with that spectacular mural. Words of encouragement. A daring leap into the unknown to an island thought a myth. Seeing off the ambitions of some truly misguided people. When he'd sincerely asked for their help. Having to face the legendary Pokémon alone. Soaring through the skies on the back of a dragon.

He'd challenged them to reach the top, and they'd found him there. They'd reached an understanding beyond words, or so it had seemed.

The trainer began to walk the streets of Mossdeep City, contemplating their next move. A letter rested in one hand and a Pokeball in the other.

The sight of the Space Centre brought back the memories of the meteor and the struggle that had gone into preventing its disaster. And the star show, unique in its glory. He'd definitely been stressed at that time. Perhaps it was then that his spirit had started to fade as well.

Standing atop the Sky Pillar had been enough to make the young person feel as though they were at the pinnacle of their strength. But even then, they had hardly been alone.

Whenever a challenge had called for another to stand beside them, they had always had friends to support them.

Steven had been there then, as he had so many times before. The bonds formed by fighting alongside each other in battle stood stronger than any, despite the rather fraught nature of many of their encounters.

They had always seemed to meet each other under the worst circumstances. But that had never seemed to matter before. Now, it seemed as though they would always pass each other by in times of peace, destined never to meet.

Wallace had even joked about his absence after a contest they had participated in with Lisia. It had seemed trivial at the time, but it took on a harsher tone now.

But those words were very telling.

Wallace seemed to know Steven as well as anyone did. And the way he had spoken that day made the trainer believe that Steven had to care about them as well.

But even if that was the case, the obtuse way of saying goodbye was a mystery. The trainer pondered the question, throwing the Pokeball and catching it in their hand until they dropped it and it released its Pokémon upon hitting the ground.

That's right. The letter had already stated that it was a Beldum.

That Pokémon was one of his favourites after all. In a way, it stood as a final challenge, a test of sorts. If that was what their friend wanted, the trainer was happy to oblige.

Perhaps that was the way they always were; hardly talking frankly, but instead trading actions and gestures that portrayed true meaning. That was fine in its own way, and that being the case, the trainer thought that a final action was appropriate.

They had to make sure he understood how much they appreciated everything.

Wallace would surely know where he was, so the trainer made for Sootopolis City.

Petals started to fall from the huge tree that stood in front of the Cave of Origin. Sure enough, Wallace was standing there, contemplating the bizarre rain.

Steven stood next to him, conversing with his friend.

The trainer stepped forwards, drawing the attention of both men.

"Ah, so it's you. I thought you'd turn up here sooner or later." Wallace commented, smiling warmly at the young person.

"How did you know to come here…?" Steven asked, looking genuinely surprised.

The young trainer stepped forwards further, moving entirely under the reach of the shedding tree. The emotions that started to well up made it hard to hold back tears. In a rain of petals, only one sentence was uttered.

"That's what friends do."

In the next second, the trainer enveloped their friend in their arms, expressing their feelings without the need for words.

In the future, that young person was likely to move away, off on their own new adventures.

But those days would never fade from either of their hearts.

And maybe, one day, they would return there once more.


	50. Magnet (Hardenshipping)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even years later, once everything truly had fallen apart, it was hard for either of them to regret the time they had spent together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Magnet  
> Characters- Maxie and Archie  
> Interactions- Hardenshipping  
> Warnings- None
> 
> Right back at the beginning of this I made the decision to write for all of the various pairings in this group of characters while doing this series.
> 
> Looking back, it seems as though i've been a little rough on Hardenshipping through the course of this. I've killed them off and broken them up, over and over...
> 
> It wasn't really on purpose, it was just one of those things that happened. So I settled upon the idea that this pairing should at least have one story that was relatively happy.
> 
> This isn't completely happy, but it is at least a well known song, where this pairing makes it from beginning to end intact.

Sundays carried with them an air of wistfulness, for various reasons.

The end of one week and the beginning of another brought more assignments and commitments for them both. It represented the start of another period that they would have to spend apart.

It made Maxie think of the future too much.

It was still so strange that they had ended up in this way at all; it was hardly the kind of relationship either of them could have expected. Almost upon the first meeting, they had been drawn to each other, and Maxie had found that his usual rationality meant nothing when faced with such feelings.

Archie's feelings, actions and words defied all attempts at logic, and yet they still were. He'd dragged them along an unknown, wild, and exciting path of romance, and Maxie was already too lost to turn back. He didn't want to.

Still, the thought remained that it was never going to last, wonderful as it was.

In the moment, it was easier to turn back into his boyfriend's side, hold him close, and pretend that nothing else mattered in the world. Hope that the differences between them wouldn't grow too large to deal with.

Believe that they hadn't made a mistake.

Whenever Maxie retreated into himself, it left Archie unsure as to what to do.

Were it purely down to him, he'd spend every moment trying to make him feel special. He'd take his smaller boyfriend and show him off to the world, make sure everyone knew how much he loved him.

Maxie wouldn't want that and he knew it. Learning to be more subtle was something that took work, but it was something he was willing to do.

Archie's eyes drifted towards the corkboard in the centre of their room, where they'd begun plotting ideas for the changes that they wished to make to the world. They were both impassioned people who wanted to make a difference. That was what had drawn them to each other. But it was clear that they wanted different things. Irreconcilable things.

He understood why Maxie was worried. He thought it would come between them. But Archie knew better. What they had was too strong to be broken down by something so distant, so intangible. Besides, they were stronger. They'd weather whatever storm their differing plans brought, and make it out on the other side, the same as they ever were.

Wouldn't they?

Maxie remained melancholy for the rest of the day, unable to break out of his own thoughts. He didn't want it to end. Not now that they were finally happy. But a million things bore down on them, spelling the dawn of the end.

He would graduate soon. They would move forwards with their lives. With their plans. But that would force them to go in different directions.

How could they stay together with all that was to happen? It seemed as though their entire world was preparing to crash down around them.

And that was something Maxie feared more than anything else.

Archie tried multiple times to break him out of his stupor, but nothing seemed to work. It wasn't until late in the evening that he finally managed to get Maxie speaking again.

"You know, the more you sulk about it, the more time will just slip away. And if it's worrying you that much… Let's just live in the now, okay?" He offered, trying to push all the negativity from their minds.

"You're right," Maxie sighed. "You already know that dwelling on things is a bad habit of mine." He stepped closer to his boyfriend, wrapping him in an embrace. "However, if you're offering to distract me…"

"Of course." Archie replied. "When aren't I?" He pulled his smaller partner closer against him and kissed him passionately, wishing he could simply force the doubts out.

Monday morning saw the two awake in a tangle of limbs and with their own responsibilities to attend to. With that, came the time to part for another week, as their lives kept them too busy to see each other.

Maxie awoke first, as he often did, and was left staring out into the room, unsure of himself all over again. He looked towards his partner, to find warm brown eyes staring back at him.

"You're doing it again. Worrying about the future." He pointed out. "Don't. It'll be okay."

Maxie closed his eyes and leaned against his boyfriend's shoulder, but noted that Archie didn't sound sure of his own words.

"Way I see it." Archie tried to explain, as the two of them prepared to leave. "You and me, we're like magnets. We'll just keep drawin' each other back in, no matter how far from each other we end up."

"That isn't entirely how magnetism works." Maxie answered. "Obviously the distance can't be infinite. And if the poles of a magnet line up wrong, they simply repel each other."

"Come on Max, I was trying to be all poetic." Archie complained. "Point is, I figure by now we're so important to each other, that we'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what happens. At least, I hope."

"No matter what…" Maxie considered. "It's definitely reassuring. But I don't know how true it could possibly be."

"You'd be surprised." Archie declared. "Never underestimate fate."

Even years later, once everything truly had fallen apart, it was hard for either of them to regret the time they had spent together.

And later still, when they met again as enemies, it only proved the ideas they'd had back then to be true.

Their spins may have no longer aligned, and they were no longer coupling together, but despite everything they still couldn't truly repel each other.


	51. World's End Dancehall (Magma + Aqua)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delta Emerald AU. Even when faced with imminent destruction, they still couldn't stop quarreling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- World's End Dancehall  
> Characters- Team Aqua and Team Magma  
> Interactions- Various declarations of loyalty and admittance of shared history that could mean something or equally nothing  
> Warnings- Possibly character death depending on interpretation
> 
> This song’s one of those with a large degree of ambiguity about it. The feeling I get from it points to it being either about a dual suicide or some people watching as the world ends and just not caring at all (presumably because they’re tired of the world). I found it hard to really get an idea for the first interpretation and liked the idea I got for the second in any case.
> 
> This is actually one I wrote a long time ago after being shown the song and I've been waiting to post it all this time. I deliberately left it ambiguous as to whether or not they escape so interpret that however you want.

Dust blew onto the streets of Lilycove as the abandoned city was left to decay, the residents having fled with a sense of urgency. The combination of burning sun interlocking itself with driving rain made an atmosphere that few desired to linger in, and the growing period of time passing without a resolution had driven the population into a sense of panic.

The once peaceful greenery of the city had been burned and washed away, leaving only a field of barely dried mud in its place. Anyone would have considered it foolishness to stay in such a scene.

But on such a scene, a showdown had broken out.

Team Magma had advanced from the west, moving from the direction of the rest of the soon to be uninhabitable land. Team Aqua had been surveying the situation from Lilycove all along, but it would be wrong to suggest they were anything other than itching for a fight. Each seeing the other's actions as responsible for the current crisis, they squared up to each other accusingly.

For over a minute there was silence, both leaders glaring at each other wordlessly. Then, an equally wordless signal was given, and the grunts of both teams charged at each other, a battle starting in earnest.

Somewhere among the tangle of Pokémon and their trainers, Tabitha found himself struggling onwards. Suddenly, the area around him was cleared, and he looked upwards to find Shelly from Team Aqua standing before him.

"What a mess we've gotten ourselves in." She commented.

"I wouldn't disagree." He answered. "Is there any reason in particular for this meeting?"

"Well, there isn't really anything good left. Nothing to save." She shrugged. "So, why not make it one more tussle for old time's sake?"

"I couldn't agree more." Tabitha smirked, calling his Camerupt to his side.

"If that's the one you want to use, prepare to be defeated." Shelly gloated, sending out her Sharpedo.

The battle was more even than it appeared at first glance, neither trainer managing to make much headway. The constantly changing weather handed the advantage to one side and then the other. As the grunts around them continued to struggle, the two admins fell into a stalemate, the battle as much psychological as physical.

Each had come from such a similar position. In a time long since forgotten, both had been esteemed researchers at the Devon Corporation. At a stretch, they could have been considered friends. But each turned their genius to the support of a different, opposed, organisation. And the situation they faced had resulted. Still, it seemed obvious that old bonds were hard to sever.

Likewise, each could be considered to be the right hand of the leader they served. Each had tried to ascertain the possible disadvantages of the plan they were trying to enact; and each had failed to stop their team from reaching their stated goals all too well.

"You know, there were rumours about your ambition." Shelly pointed out, seeing her chance to strike at the other's morale. "They say you aspired all the way to the top position."

"I think even Maxie caught wind of that one." Tabitha pointed out. "I assure you, my loyalty is unquestionable."

"Hmph. As if that matters now." Shelly sighed. "It's a shame… It seems we both failed to stop those idiots, despite our best efforts."

"Not through lack of trying." Tabitha assured her.

Their Pokémon clashed again, and the Magma Admin looked towards his opposite.

"By now, I suppose it is simply too late to try to change anything. There's nothing more we can do."

"Yeah. I reckon so. Oh well, end of the world I guess." Shelly laughed bitterly. "Might as well accept that."

"It would be pointless to do anything else." Tabitha agreed.

"Still, if I have to die here… Being honest, if I had to be with someone, it might as well be you." The Aqua Admin admitted.

"I share that sentiment, old friend." Tabitha answered.

On the other side of the battlefield, Courtney struggled to make her way through. Maxie needed her to be at the front of the group in… Less than two minutes. She had to hurry. As she moved, she realised an imposing, large figure had positioned himself to block her. She stepped forwards.

"Step aside." She ordered.

"No can do there! I'm not gonna let you get past and sneak up on my bro Archie." Matt stated.

"Fine." Clearly, there was nothing else for it. "Shall we fight, then?"

Each side sent out their Pokémon and prepared to fight, unaware of the similarities they shared with each other. Neither wanted to believe that the scenes they bore witness to were real. Neither was willing to admit that their leaders could ever have been wrong. Unsure as to how to act, each was continuing to follow as closely as they could, taking the orders of their superior as gospel in the hope that the crisis could still somehow be sorted out without serious incident. In a sense, both were equally blind.

As they fought with a sense of ferocity, each turned to shout at the other.

"I have to defeat you… Leader Maxie needs me there!" Courtney insisted.

"I can't let you pass. I have to protect my bro Archie!" Matt growled back.

"Then we fight… With all our strength!" Courtney proposed, sending her Pokémon forwards for another attack.

"Yeah! That's just the sort of thing I like to hear." Matt smiled.

They fought onwards, happiness settling over the pair at the thought of fulfilling their duty.

Maxie was pushed back as Archie lunged at him. A Pokémon battle he could handle. But when the situation turned into a fist fight, he knew he had lost. Unable to truly defend himself, he was forced backwards onto the ground. Archie appeared over him, face clearly smug. Unbidden, memories of their old partnership and the time they had once spent as allies flooded through. If the way Archie's face turned was any indication, the other man had received the same thoughts. Rather than gloat over the way things had turned out, Archie looked towards the torn sky.

"Well, we really messed this up, didn't we Max?" He stated.

"Indeed we did. It feels as though the world will never forgive us." Maxie stated solemnly. Without a further word, a hand was held out to him. Maxie took it and was pulled back to his feet.

"Only foolishness could ever have led to this." Maxie sighed, staring out at the storming sea.

Their conversation was interrupted by a piercing cry. Looking up, each man caught sight of a huge green dragon that weaved through the sky as it made its way out to sea. Rayquaza had arrived. As it reached towards the horizon, both the Magma and Aqua Leader still staring in its direction, it Mega Evolved and curved forwards into a set of low clouds. Through the mist, the silhouettes of two ancient Pokémon were barely visible; faint proof of their misdeeds. Archie decided the time for talking was long past, and turned back to Maxie.

"To me, that seems almost like our cue. Why don't we try to get out while we can?"

"I fear it may already be too late for that." Maxie worried. "Still, we can at least try."

With a motion to the rest of their teams, the fight was broken, and all thoughts went to fleeing. For those who had gathered at the edge of the world, escape was far from certain, and safety by no means assured. Neither team was sure of survival. But for their folly, they were each resigned to accept their fate, whatever it entailed.


	52. Soleil (Magma)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No matter what, he would protect those children who had shone so brightly. Even if he had to sink into a darkness of his own making to achieve it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Soleil  
> Characters- Team Magma, player character  
> Interactions- platonic intra-magma relationships, plus Redorbshipping  
> Warnings- None
> 
> I feel like I channeled some of the lore of Kingdom Hearts into this one XD. It definitely fits with the theme though.
> 
> This song's one I see a lot of different 'angles' and ideas for, but eventually I was able to write something concrete for this idea.

Most of Maxie's life had been spent in an atmosphere of dull grey, surrounded as he was by people he couldn't care less about and who did nothing but annoy him.

That was, until he met them both, and a ray of light entered his world.

He'd never been a particular fan of children, but in his senior year of high school he'd been practically forced into tutoring middle schoolers as part of a city wide programme. They'd reassured him that his new pupils would be particularly bright; children in need of intellectual stimulation who could most use the mentoring of an older straight-A student to guide their lives.

When he'd actually met Courtney and Tabitha, it felt as though he had been staring into a mirror that reflected his own past.

They were wonderful, and smart. And they had seen suffering, enough to already start to dim the light that normally grew so strong in the hearts of children.

It was then that Maxie decided that he would bring hope back to them. He would struggle to make the world a better place, for the rest of his life if he had to. But he would bring light back into the smiles of those children, and he would improve the future prospects of all those who lived upon their world.

As the years passed, Maxie's resolve never wavered. Courtney and Tabitha, fortified by his support, seemed to overcome the darkness that had clung to them in youth, and this only served to spur Maxie onwards.

For the sake of those he cared about, and everyone else in the world, he would make the land in which they lived a better place.

He continued to work, building Team Magma and taking Courtney and Tabitha along with him. Finally, his goals started to be realised.

It was then that a single child appeared to stand in their way. The rest of the team's opinions of their adversary ranged from perplexed to outraged.

But when Maxie looked at them, he saw nought but a shining light, full of ambition. A light he was determined to protect.

This didn't deter him from his course at all. If anything, it spurred him on further. That child served to remind him of the world he was determined to improve.

Even if he had to face them in battle. Even if he had to break their will. It would all be worth it to save them all in the end.

Maxie didn't waver until right at the very end.

The first doubts had appeared just before he left with a select team for the Seafloor Cavern. Tabitha had appeared subdued. Even Courtney was a slight bit… Off. He knew that she too had taken an interest in that child. But it seemed entirely different to the protective wish he had held. She wanted to fight, and he was unsure as to whether this was a sign of respect, hatred, or something else entirely.

Regardless, the moods of both of his closest friends were unsettling.

He ended up allowing Courtney to stay behind, trusting her to keep him safe while letting her loose on her own path.

As he watched her fighting on the docks, he saw the glimmer of an evil sort of darkness take hold of her, and it was then that he realised.

He had already resigned himself to doing whatever was necessary to achieve his dream, for the good of humanity. He had resolved to break a child's spirit in order to save them. He had committed a great number of crimes, and inevitably taken darkness onto himself in the process.

Now, that very same darkness was gripping those around him as well. It was an inevitable part of keeping Courtney and Tabitha so close. But Maxie wouldn't have it.

From that moment on, for the sake of Tabitha and Courtney, as well as that child, Maxie would shoulder the entirety of that darkness himself. Whatever else he had to do, he would do it without hesitation, and without involving the hands of others.

Perhaps it was for the best that he had left Courtney behind.

When Tabitha attempted to stop him from his final goal, Maxie brusquely pushed him away. He had already gone too far to turn back, and he wasn't about to draw back from the edge regardless of the consequences. Realising their dreams was the only way to stop the darkness spreading within the rest of his team. In any case, he wasn't sure if Tabitha would truly pull away from darker ambitions if he did stop. He had to press onwards, if for no other reason than to show that he would be the one dirtying his hands and his heart.

That child attempted to stop him, and Maxie fought with them too. He would protect them. He had to.

When Groudon was unleashed the world fell entirely into darkness, despite the raging sunlight outside. At that very moment, the weight of everything he had done fell down on Maxie, breaking his spirit into pieces.

But he accepted it. He took all of the darkness, and he sank himself into it. If it would spare Tabitha and Courtney. If it would spare the world. He would accept it all.

When that child set off to confront the Legendary Pokémon, a flash of light cut through the darkness in Maxie's mind. He was immediately reminded of a time long ago, and of two children who had brought hope to his jaded world.

When a pillar of green rose into the sky, dispersing the bizarre weather, Maxie knew it was finally over. He fell backwards; ready to accept whatever consequences his actions warranted. The darkness that still swilled around within his darkening heart made him want to give up entirely.

But he was supported by arms that were now as strong and capable as his own, and he looked up to see that despite everything, Tabitha was still standing with him.

When the younger man smiled, the sun shone once more.


	53. Look This Way, Baby (Authorityshipping)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, communication was the hardest thing, and making yourself understood harder still.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Look This Way, Baby  
> Characters-Maxie, Courtney  
> Interactions- Authorityshipping  
> Warnings-None
> 
> It's been quite a while since I updated.  
> I've been working on this one for months and it was pretty hard getting a feel for the song itself and what direction I wanted to take with it, so it was slow going for a long time. Add to that, I've been much busier with uni this year so far, and things more or less ground to a halt writing wise. But, I'm back!

After a large amount of turmoil, and with considerable effort invested, Team Magma had finally managed to reform.

The lives of most of the members of the group were improving as well. Peace had settled over Hoenn, and those (like Team Magma and Team Aqua) who had previously been separated from society were gradually finding themselves reintegrated into the community. She herself had managed to settle into a relationship, after what felt like a lifetime of pining.

Courtney was still frustrated.

Maxie, as ever, was oblivious. He'd remained oblivious to their attraction for months until they had finally gotten together, and now he was oblivious to her feelings once again.

It was clear that he wanted more out of their relationship. It was obvious in the way he clearly held himself back when they kissed, and in the proximity they allowed between the two of them whenever they were alone together.

Despite this, he seemed to go to great lengths to slow them down. He kept their kisses deliberately short and chaste, pulled away whenever she tried to get more affectionate, and stopped her hands from wandering whenever they embraced.

He spoke at great length of long, drawn out courtship and 'perfect' romance; of upholding Courtney's honour, and her dignity.

Courtney couldn't care less about her honour, or her dignity. She was a grown woman and she knew what she wanted. It was patronising of Maxie to act otherwise.

But he didn't seem willing to take the hint.

It was a situation that left her stuck. As much as she wanted him to pay more attention to her and to what she actually had to say instead of what he thought she felt, the fact remained that he was as dense as ever. As hopelessly, frustratingly dense as ever.

Eventually, the woman felt as though she had no choice but to take matters into her own hands. The next time she was alone with her boyfriend, on the way back from one of their dates, she began an earnest attempt at seduction.

"Maxie." She sang, winding her arms around her lover. "Let's not part… Just yet."

"Oh?" Maxie asked, raising an eyebrow. "What would you have us do then?"

"Well, we could always spend some time together. In bed. Alone." Courtney suggested, looking down at the ground.

"Is that so? Tell me then, of the dark secrets within your heart. What do you want from me? Would you have me show you the deepest aspects of my own desires?" Maxie spoke, tilting Courtney's head up so that she looked him in the eyes.

"Uh… I." Courtney hesitated. Maxie's demeanour had taken a sudden about-face, and the way he looked at her now made her slightly nervous. She hadn't expected such an abrupt change, and wasn't sure how to react to it.

Maxie sighed deeply, closing his eyes and stepping backwards. "Alright then. Goodnight Courtney." He kissed her once before walking further into the base, leaving Courtney entirely confused.

"Wait… A minute." She sighed. She really wished he wouldn't jump to conclusions so much…

The next morning, Courtney was still in a bad mood. Maxie's density was getting beyond frustrating, and she had no idea what to do about it. Worse, she had managed to completely mess up her attempts to move things along. It was infuriating.

Courtney's sour mood caught the attention of the rest of the team, and the rumours of her apparent irritability reached Maxie's ears as well. It wasn't long before he was pulling her aside, no doubt trying to figure out the cause of her apparent distress.

"Did something happen?" He asked, cutting straight to the point. "You seem to be having… Some trouble with something."

"Yes," she answered. "You."

"I… Wasn't aware there were any issues with our relationship." He answered, looking more than a little surprised.

"Not like that." Courtney sighed. "Just… Take more responsibility."

"I didn't think you wanted to get married." Maxie replied almost instantly.

"Uh, well." Courtney almost chocked. This was proving impossible. "Not… Right now… Exactly."

Maxie stared at her for a moment before seeming to realise what she was driving at. "Is it perhaps… You feel I am not taking this relationship seriously enough? Because I can assure you, I am fully committed to this."

"Then act like it." She answered. "Stop… Pulling away from me without even asking about it. Stop speaking for me instead of listening to me."

"You always seem uncomfortable with more extended displays of affection, or any escalation thereof." Maxie explained. "I don't want to hurt you."

"I know. I'm not… Always. But I'd rather you talk to me. And we cannot just go from zero to a hundred. Just because I sometimes hesitate… Doesn't mean you should barely touch me." She tried to elaborate.

"I suppose not. Well, if you would rather we get just slightly more adventurous, a little at a time… I can oblige to that." Maxie finally agreed, and Courtney felt a weight lift off her shoulders. It seemed she was finally getting through to him.

"Regardless. We have work we should probably be doing. We've likely… Spent enough time away. It wouldn't do for anyone else to assume we were slacking off." Maxie continued.

"Of course." Courtney agreed, smiling a little. He could be such a dork sometimes.

…She wouldn't swap him for anything.


	54. Rolling Girl (Maxie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OR universe. When everything seems to be going wrong and the solutions evade you, it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But it is at times like this that we truly learn whether we are alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Rolling Girl  
> Characters- Team Magma  
> Interactions- Possible implied/minor Authorityshipping and Maxie/Tabitha, could be taken as platonic  
> Warnings- Depressive themes
> 
> This is another of those songs with a seriously large number of interpretations.
> 
> I see this one personally as being about the cycle of depression, and its tendency to suck you back in just when you'd thought you could escape (kinda like rolling down a steep hill). I think the character in this is basically pushing others away because they feel they have to be strong, they must solve it on their own, because asking others for help is a burden and everyone else is fine anyway. I take the 'holding your breath' line to be literally like holding your breath for a solution. One that simply isn't coming.
> 
> So in the end, the only option is to rely on others as that person realises they can't do everything alone. And there's hope in that, that things could get better.
> 
> This story was actually written almost a year and a half ago, but I held off on publishing it because I wanted to release all of the stories before this first. When it was finally this story's turn, I kept putting it off because of being unable to think of the 'right' author's note, and also because my workload this year has left me with barely any time to do anything (not a single day off in a month and a half...)
> 
> As well as the original, JubyPhonic did a good English version of this song, and LinaZel's done a piano version I really like

Nothing was as intended.

The near destruction of the world hadn't been part of the plan. Neither had being narrowly saved by a child. To then have some random woman steal from him as part of a greater crisis had almost been too much.

Three failings in quick succession was a lot for anyone to take.

But now they had to move on. Team Magma would reach new heights. They had to. To reach the better world they had been planning for… The solution had to be there, just out of reach. Definitely. Maybe.

Maxie slammed his hands down onto the desk, scattering papers everywhere. It had been three days. Three whole days with nary a break to be had, and the answer still deluded him. He was hungry, he was tired. But he had to keep going. For the sake of the team.

He stood up, knocking yet more files to the floor as he sauntered over to the other end of the room. Why was this so hard? He was the great Maxie after all! He'd never struggled so hard at coming up with a plan in his life. Everyone was counting on him to lead them out of the darkness. But he had nothing.

Frustration rising, he stormed back over to the table and pushed the rest of his work to the ground. It was all wrong. Nothing but rehashed mistakes.

"It's no issue." He reassured himself. He would take a walk to clear his head, and then start from scratch. It was all he could do.

He met nobody in the hallway. It was gone midnight after all. The walk around the base was peaceful, and he was stood before the main lab before he knew it. Mere weeks ago, development of the Magma Suit had been completed, to much celebration. They were not to know what would become of their plans. Of their dreams. But now, now…

"Leader Maxie? How strange to see you up at this late hour." A voice spoke up behind him, and Maxie turned to see Tabitha staring back at him. "Is everything… Alright?"

"Ah, Tabitha." He acknowledged. "All is well. I was merely going over the new plan for the team, and lost track of time."

"I see." Tabitha regarded him sceptically. "Well, that's understandable. But please… It wouldn't do to push yourself too hard."

"I understand." He nodded. "Thank you for the concern."

It seemed as though that was a good enough answer to convince the Admin to leave him to his thoughts.

Another twenty-four hours of fruitless work saw Maxie staring intently at the ceiling of his room. Nothing he tried seemed to work anymore. However much he tried to grasp the solution to his predicament, it stayed stubbornly out of his reach. It was almost as if… He simply wasn't cut out for this anymore.

"It's no issue." He tried to tell himself, but the words seemed hollow even to his own ears. Try as he might, there wasn't an answer. At this rate… The team could never be reformed the way he wanted it to be. Needed it to be. It was another failure. And four wasn't coincidence.

He had to escape the growing sense of failure and inadequacy, so he took to wandering the corridors again. It was as easy to avoid anyone as it had been the night before. Somehow, the team hadn't fallen apart in his absence, he noted. Perhaps his Admins were just that good at running things without him. If that was the case, than surely there was no need for…

"Leader Maxie. You're… Awake?" Courtney cut his thoughts off as he passed through the entrance to the base.

"Courtney. I could ask the same thing." He pointed out, turning to face her.

"I slept… Last night. You haven't… For ninety-eight hours." She stated.

"You do not need to worry about me." He countered. "I am merely working through things. We have to get back on track as soon as possible after all, and we need a new direction."

"You are inefficient… Without sleep. More so with no food. Please… Take care of yourself." She replied.

He nodded to the affirmative, but the conversation was forgotten as soon as she walked away.

Five days was the limit, he decided. A solution wasn't coming. And he had no idea what he was going to do. There was no chance of him facing everyone now, knowing he had failed in such a way. He was trapped, without a place to go and feeling as though there was no way out of his situation. Maxie screamed in anguish and frustration as he jumped up and set about knocking aside everything in the room once again. When only destruction awaited him, he took off running, no longer caring where he ended up.

He was caught by the waist before he got much of anywhere.

"Leader Maxie… Please stop!" Courtney pleaded, holding onto him from behind and preventing him from moving with any agility.

"Leader Maxie… That's enough now. Even you have a limit." Tabitha advised, grabbing onto Maxie's hands and beginning to lead him. "You must eat. And rest."

"I won't… Let you do this… To yourself! No more of this!" Courtney agreed, pushing Maxie in some direction.

He wasn't sure where they were taking him. The entire world had started to spin, and nothing seemed to make sense anymore. Eventually, Tabitha moved off to the side, and he fell down onto something soft, Courtney still holding onto him and preventing him from getting up. Not that she needed to; he was asleep not a second later.

In the coming days, they would begin to fix the mistakes of the past. To reform the team, and their own lives. But at that moment, rest was required, and Maxie slept on, nestled between Courtney on one side and Tabitha on the other, so that he would wander no longer.


	55. ColourfulxMelody (Courtney/Maxie/Archie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Probably an OR universe.  
> "Sometimes things don't work out. But half of the fun is just in the trying."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- ColourfulxMelody  
> Characters- Courtney, Archie, Maxie  
> Interactions- Courtney -> Maxie < \- Archie  
> Warnings: None
> 
> This is basically an apology for Maxie getting brutally killed in the last two songs to feature these three.  
> I wasn't really sure what else to do for this song before I got this idea either, and it turned out a bit differently from what I had planned, but i'm still satisfied with it.

It was a bright and colourful day when Courtney decided to leave the base. Cautious of attracting unwanted attention, she had chosen to swap her uniform for a plain red sundress, and made her way quietly towards the centre of Lilycove City. Things were still largely settling down from the crisis before, and there was a lot of planning still to do. That day, in a lull in proceedings, she'd chosen to take some time off, walk around in the outside air, and reflect.

Even then, her thoughts flew to Maxie soon enough. Her infatuation with the man was quickly turning into a raging fire, and it left her altogether uncertain.

After everything that had happened, was this feeling really something that should be acted on?

Even if it was, the more Courtney found out about Maxie, the more she became convinced that she wasn't even the type of person he liked. It probably wouldn't work out anyway. But still, she didn't think she could just let it go.

Wandering aimlessly around the town, she became lost in her own thoughts.

The day had heated up to such an extent that Archie was already considering shedding the polo shirt he was wearing, just to cool down the slightest amount. He always ended up feeling all too hot in regular clothing, but walking around in uniform in the current atmosphere was generally a bad idea.

Still, the bright and sunny weather was enough to raise anyone's spirits. The heat was persistent, but not overly oppressive; overall, it was a nice day. A day that ended up reminding Archie of another.

He wondered if, now that everything was over, Maxie would start to return to the person he once had been. The boy he had once known was someone he had loved dearly. If Maxie even turned slightly back into that person, it would truly be a wonderful thing.

"Ah…" A voice cut through his thoughts, and Archie realised he had walked into someone while lost in thought.

"Oops, sorry," he began, looking down at the much smaller woman he had disturbed.

"No. I… Wasn't looking." She tried to explain. Archie picked up on her halting speech pattern, and a look at her face confirmed his suspicions.

"Wait. Aren't you that girl from Team Magma?" He voiced.

"Oh, uh…" Courtney faltered, looking anywhere but towards Archie. She didn't have her Pokémon with her, so if he wanted a fight he was out of luck. But besides that, people all around were starting to stare at them.

"Hey, don't worry. I'm not looking to tussle with you today." He moved to reassure her. "I'm just walking around like any land-goer, thinking some thoughts."

"Me too." Courtney nodded.

"Yeah? That'd be quite the coincidence I reckon. How about you and me share what's on our minds? Not with so many people around, mind." Archie continued.

Despite her better judgement, Courtney found herself agreeing.

"Actually…" She began, once the two of them were sitting out on the cape, away from the crowds. "It's about Maxie." She shut her mouth as soon as she'd said his name. She hadn't meant to say so much. It had just happened.

"Really? That is interesting…" Archie mused. "Don't tell me… You like that smug little nerd, don't you?"

"Uh…" Courtney searched for a way to deflect the conversation from her. "What… About you?"

"Huh? Did you hear about that?" Archie queried, surprised. "I'd have thought I'd be buried history by now, sunk as deep as the wrecks on the ocean floor."

"I… Don't think so." Courtney replied simply.

"Is that so… Well don't worry about that. I won't get in your way." Archie answered.

"No. I won't… Get in your way." The Magma Admin insisted. "If you want… All that again."

"Really? You don't have to be like that…" Archie mused. "How about this then: neither of us gets in the other's way. Rather, we help each other out."

"Help?" Courtney asked.

"Sure. I mean look at Maxie. Guy needs all the love he can get. So it'd be stupid for us to just fight when we could both focus on loving him instead. Nobody said we had to end up fighting just 'cause of our feelings," Archie detailed.

"Would that… Even work?" Courtney doubted.

"Honestly? No clue. But that's a stupid reason to give up if ever I heard one. Sometimes things don't work out. But half of the fun is just in the trying." Archie decided.

"I suppose… I can see your point." Courtney conceded. "So what… Do we do now?"

"That is the question…" Archie considered. "Maybe we should..."

"Courtney? What on earth are you doing out here… Oh, it's you." A voice spoke up, Courtney turning to her right to see Maxie walking towards them.

"Yeah, sure. I missed you too Max." Archie rolled his eyes. "What? Do you control who your crew talk to, even in their time off?"

"Of course not. I was merely curious, not to mention surprised to see you here." Maxie defended himself.

"Do you want me… To head back?" Courtney asked.

"You don't have to. I'll be heading back first anyway. Go whenever you wish." Maxie answered, turning around and striding away.

"Huh, he's worried about you. That's a good sign. Normally he's not worried about anyone." Archie weighed up.

"Okay." Courtney nodded. "I'll… Head back." Courtney decided, standing up.

"If you want. Make sure to keep me posted though, alright? I want to see how this ends." Archie declared.

"You too. Come… And visit us sometime." Courtney answered, beginning to walk away.

Their alliance a secret for now, both of them nether-the-less felt rejuvenated as they went their separate ways under the heat of the summer sun.


	56. Can't I Even Dream (Authorityshipping)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OR AU where Groudon is stopped too late. Ambition can tear everything you love apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Can't I even dream?  
> Characters- Maxie and Courtney (a few others are mentioned)  
> Interactions- Authorityshipping  
> Warnings- Death
> 
> Oh boy.  
> This song's more or less the first vocaloid song I really listened to, linked to me by sketchygryphon after a piece of writing i'd been working on at the time reminded her of it. So of course when I got an idea that might fit this song, I wanted to put it in.
> 
> This is another story I wrote a long time before the others (only shortly after Rollieng Girl), and kept around instead of publishing. At the time, Groudon hadn't done much in the series, and I wanted to experiment more with the concept of the heroes stopping the legendary Pokemon... A little late. This is the result.
> 
> Rockleetist did an awesome English cover of this song, while LinaZel's German version actually brought me to tears before.

There was nothing but destruction, and he didn't want to believe it.

Groudon had already been brought to a stop less than a mile from Lilycove's shores. The hero who had failed in the Cave of Origin stood victorious. Maxie had lost, and he probably stood to lose more than his pride. But nothing like that mattered in that moment. He stood there, wind rippling past and chilling him to the bone.

Mossdeep City lay in ruins.

It was as though his failures were spread out before him in that desperate scene. He knew that the Champion had received word of the Gym Leaders' successful evacuation. He knew that a few other townspeople had escaped, led by a mysterious dark haired woman. But he had heard no word from the team, and his blood had been running cold ever since the crisis had ended.

Courtney wasn't in the base.

He'd dropped everything to come and survey the damage. Given up on any hope of salvaging his plans, and left the memories of Groudon behind him for that moment. There were members of the team missing. Courtney was missing. He had to find them.

He knew there were grunts stationed here, and he took about searching for them. The bodies of the unfortunate civilians were distressing, but it was his own that he focused on. The first sight of tattered red uniform almost had him sobbing aloud. These were those who had believed in him, who had put faith in him. And he had led them to their deaths. The pain was immeasurable.

"I am here." He called out, to whoever had survived the carnage. "I made it. I apologise for my lateness."

As only the sound of the wind answered him, he knew that it was already far too late for such words.

"I am sorry… That this had to happen."

As he stepped forwards, his foot caught on the rubble and he nearly tripped. Looking down, he noticed the lifeless hand of an innocent it had once struck. He tried to steel himself, focusing on searching for those who still lived. It wasn't easy.

Despite trying to remain detached, he found his thoughts going back to Courtney's whereabouts over and over. She should have just been just another team member to him, but he couldn't deny his bias or his favour. It wasn't easy to pretend not to be fond of someone. And it was hard to ignore the way she had conducted herself in the days immediately before the incident; everything for his sake, throwing herself into battles for him again and again. Her loyalty was unparalleled.

In his heart, he knew that given that, she would have announced her safety to him as soon as she was able, had she still been safe. It wasn't something he was willing to dwell on.

He considered calling Tabitha and notifying him of the status of the team, but he simply wasn't ready for it. To admit to the numbers he had let die. And he had to find Courtney first. He clung to some desperate hope of her escape. It was a foolish thing to wish for, as he knew she would never have abandoned the team for her own sake. But he refused to give up on her.

Such it was, that he found himself heading towards the raised hill of the city, where rockets were once fired. Up at that apex of the island town, a figure lay curled up, pierced through by twisted earth.

Her position, high above the others, and the flash of yellow within her clothing distinguished her.

In that moment, it wasn't difficult to pretend that everything was okay. She was found, and she was sleeping, and all he needed to do was wake her up so that they could return home. He wasn't crying either; it was just rain, hitting his face with an increasing tempo.

"Courtney. There you are." He smiled, his words and his expression so obviously, horribly fake even to his own senses. He walked towards her, kneeling down and placing a hand gently on her shoulder.

"Courtney. We should return. Get up now." He requested, shaking her gently. When no response was forthcoming, he pulled her into his arms, ignoring the blood and the holes within her body.

"Courtney. Wake up. Courtney!" He persisted, growing more and more frantic until he was screaming.

She didn't move, and the scene before him was unbearable. The people he'd let die. The grunts he'd led into destruction. Courtney, who had no doubt stayed alongside them, guiding them on his behalf until the bitter end…

"I love you. And I am sorry. Please… You cannot just die." He bargained, holding her form to his chest. She was already cold.

The landscape before them was desolate, and there was not even any space to dream.


	57. Wildfire (Hardenshipping)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You’d think Maxie would have learned by now. At least Matt could claim youthful innocence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Wildfire  
> Characters- Maxie and Archie. Matt gets mentioned  
> Interactions- Hardenshipping and implied Sailorshipping  
> Warnings- Another really really unhealthy relationship
> 
> Sketchygryphon sent me this song right back when I started writing this series, and it's taken me this long to do anything with it, even though I knew I wanted to and even mostly had the idea from pretty early on. It's slightly odd finally having it finished.
> 
> I also really like the mashup JubyPhonic did of this song and clarity.

Tensions between them had risen to a fever pitch, and it was obvious things were about to explode. Had all his senses been in working order, Maxie would have run away long ago. But something was making him stay, staring headlong at the growing disaster. Even more than that, he was actively provoking matters.

It had become almost like a game, one that hurt him over and over. But Maxie got a sense of satisfaction out of watching it all burn.

It had always been naïve and foolish to assume that their goals wouldn't eventually come between them. The two of them had been chasing after opposing ideals, and Archie was a driven individual who was never going to give up his dreams.

Maxie hadn't expected that to hurt so much, and his initial response- accusing Archie of deliberately throwing him aside for his own ambition- was childish even to his own ears.

But he didn't want to back down, and the more he repeated the accusations the truer they began to feel. Archie at first tried to argue against him, but before long a line had clearly been crossed, and he began repaying the insults in kind.

From there, they had quickly devolved into outright war, each of them knowing exactly how to hurt the other most. Any sane person would have walked away at this point, but Maxie couldn't bring himself to leave.

Maybe deep down he still wished that things could return to the way they had been. Maybe he thought that if he just stayed a little longer, he could still fix things.

If he was honest, it was more likely that he simply didn't want to lose. He'd win this fight, whatever the costs. And he'd make sure Archie knew exactly how thoroughly he had been beaten.

For a long time, neither of them wanted to back down, and the war only got nastier as time went on.

Eventually, others started to get dragged into the whole affair. Maxie knew all about the hulking young man that Archie had as an Admin. It was clear that he had quite a crush on his leader, following him around like a lovesick puppy. Maxie wasn't sure what Archie wanted with him. At times, he seemed to genuinely respond to his affection, and at others he got the distinct feeling that he was leading the younger man on. But for what purpose? Was he trying to make him jealous? Or was he making an honest attempt at moving on with his life?

The boy could claim youthful innocence at least, but why Maxie stayed was a mystery. He should have learned better by now.

But in a way, he had grown to love the carnage, and the thought of walking out of Archie's life forever was too much to bear.

What they had once had was already broken beyond recognition, but the fire they had been left with was addictive and exciting, and he couldn't get enough of it.

The only relief he would ever find could only come in the form of total victory.

So when they were alone, and nobody would ever know, he kissed the man he had once loved with all his heart with all of the passion and hatred he had. And when he returned to the world at large, he openly plotted his downfall, content only to see him destroyed.

As the cycle continued, the fragments of their broken love played out for everyone to see. They drove each other forwards, as much for the sake of revenge and the thrill of the fight as for the sake of their own goals.

When it finally ended, it would likely leave both of them too badly broken to ever go back. But if they were going down, they would go down in flames, refusing to part from each other until the bitter end.

Even as their love was stained with hatred, even as they brought the world around them crashing down, even as they each got closer and closer to ideals that would so drastically change society forever, they stayed together, in their own twisted way.

He continued to stoke the fire that Archie threw at him. He took the bitterness and jealousy that had been aroused in his own heart and returned it in kind, seeking to rile his rival up more and more. He stoked tension and struck nerves and sought only to increase the strength of the fire that burned around them.

When it exploded, the ferocity brought everything crashing down. But Maxie loved the fire, and he loved to watch it all burn.


	58. Suki, Daisuki (Authorityshipping)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emotions were annoying and yet unavoidable. But somehow, things still had a way of working out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Suki, Daisuki  
> Characters- Maxie and Courtney  
> Interactions- Authorityshipping  
> Warnings- None
> 
> Yet another story about these awkward dorks, this time with Maxie being socially awkward.
> 
> I like rockleetist's English version and TamashiineKasuka's German version of this one.

Maxie, on the whole, saw most emotions as annoying and yet unavoidable things. Most of the time, it was easy enough to endure them and watch them pass with time.

Infatuation was an altogether different affair, and it never failed to cause an inconvenience.

In the past, most of the targets of the man's affection had made their own feelings known in their own time. At the very least, they were obvious enough about their intentions towards him to make Maxie certain of the way to proceed.

But Courtney was an enigma to him, and she too often hid her emotions. It made it hard to know what to do.

It was true that her loyalty to him was unparalleled. But that alone meant little in his mind. She could have a thousand reasons for acting in such a way.

Such it was that Maxie found himself attempting to gain Courtney's full attention, hoping to analyse how she truly saw him. Even if he had no idea what he was actually doing.

In that one moment, for instance, he had held her back after the usual meeting between his admins and himself, hoping to converse with her a little. Courtney looked unsure as she walked back towards him, no doubt wondering if she had done something wrong. Even Tabitha glanced in their direction in curiosity before leaving.

"Is something… Wrong?" She asked, concern clearly evident.

"Nothing. I just wanted to speak with you more personally." Maxie clarified.

"We usually… Reserve personal matters for Fridays." Courtney pointed out.

This gave Maxie pause for thought. Had he always been so predictable?

"Aren't we friends?" He tried, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Well, yes, but… You're normally so busy with work during the week. I've never known you change your routine." Courtney continued. "I don't suppose… You have a reason?"

"Nothing in particular." Maxie declared. "I simply wish to spend more time with you." It wasn't anything close to that simple, but that was as much as he felt himself able to say.

"I see," Courtney nodded. "Is there anything you want to do then?"

"Um…" Maxie hesitated. He hadn't actually decided on anything, too focused on simply getting to this point to begin with. "Well, let me think…"

"Shall we continue this later today? Time is a little short…" Courtney suggested.

"If you wish. After work then, perhaps." Maxie decided, watching as Courtney nodded, turned around, and walked back into the base.

His embarrassment continued for most of the rest of the day, as he (something)ed himself for being so awkward. Why didn't he just tell her the truth? Why was this sort of thing always so difficult?

As they both continued with their day's work, Maxie could only hope that he would find the courage he needed to speak his mind later on. Or at least come up with something substantial to say. As it was, he could only go through his embarrassment over and over, and wonder if he was ever going to sort his own feelings out.

Later, after work had finished for the day, Courtney returned and Maxie began his attempts to talk to her again. She stayed silent, watching as his words dried up yet again. He was never like this in any other situation, and it was becoming increasingly annoying.

"Well… Why don't we go for a walk?" He suggested eventually, trying to act as casual as possible.

"Sure." Courtney agreed, following readily as Maxie led her out towards the sea.

"It's quite peaceful here at this time of day." He commented as they stared out at the waves.

"It is." She nodded, before turning to face him. "Although… Maxie. You aren't… Treating me differently?"

"Oh? Well, I wouldn't put it like that… Quite." The man panicked. What was he supposed to say to her?

"Oh." Courtney looked down, seeming almost a little disappointed. "If not that then… Why? I know… You don't do things like this. With anyone else."

"Uh, that would be. I mean…" Maxie rambled without meaning, trying to think of something reasonable to say.

"You don't have to tell me… If you don't want to." Courtney continued. Somehow, Maxie got the feeling that she would probably be upset if he did stay quiet. It made it easier for him to speak, especially as he saw the light start to fade from her eyes.

"Wait. I can explain! That is… Well, I…" Maxie started. "I, you see… I like you, you know."

"Well, good." Courtney replied. "I'd hope so. We are friends, aren't we?"

"Well, yes we are." Maxie agreed. "That isn't quite what I meant though. You see, I had hoped to discern, in particular… How you felt about me."

"How I feel?" Courtney parroted. "Well… Why do you need to know?" She seemed nervous, almost fearful. This was not working out at all.

Maxie sighed deeply. "I, as it turns out, am incredibly bad at this."

"I'm not sure… What you're trying to say." Courtney continued, turning away from him.

"What I mean is that… I appear to be somewhat infatuated with you." Maxie admitted.

"You mean to say… You hold romantic intentions towards me?" Courtney clarified.

"Well… Yes." Maxie nodded, feeling embarrassment rising all over again.

"Good." Courtney decided. "That makes things easier." She stood up fully, leaning up to kiss Maxie on the cheek. He turned back towards her in surprise, meeting her lips by mistake. They kissed for a moment before Courtney moved backwards, smiling gently.

Maxie still felt slightly embarrassed, but the air between them was less awkward than before, and hope was starting to bloom.

It seemed like everything was alright after all.


	59. Soleil (Aqua)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AS possession AU. To protect those he cared about, he would take on anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Soleil  
> Characters- Archie, Shelly, Matt, Maxie, Kyogre, and the player character  
> Interactions- Archie has a lot of loyalty to his team  
> Warnings- possession, character death
> 
> I think I mentioned before that I had three ideas for this song. This is the second one.
> 
> The last story for this song was mainly about Team Magma, this one focuses on Team Aqua.

In the end, all they had wanted was to make the world a better place. Shelly and Archie had wanted to reform their corrupted world for as long as either could remember. They'd struggled, and they'd won, and that had been the start of everything going horribly wrong.

Archie had been increasingly corrupted by the force of the orb they had taken, and eventually the beast took him over entirely, taking away the man Shelly had always known.

In the Seafloor Cavern, he stood before the Pokémon that had awakened, appearing as its mere puppet. It was hard to watch.

In desperation, she had raced forwards, struggling with Archie in an attempt to steal the orb away from him. The object had started to merge into his body, and as she tried to pull it from his grip, Shelly was almost screaming.

"No! I won't let you take him. No matter what I have to do!" She cried, finally prying the object from her leader's hand, the recoil sending her flying into one of the rock walls of the cavern, the orb now firmly in her hand.

"If that is what you wish… It shall be you instead." A voice spoke, piercing straight into Shelly's mind.

The tips of her fingers started to itch with a strange power, and exhaustion overtook her. As much as she knew she had to fight, Shelly had nothing left, and gave into the darkness.

Archie had been unaware of everything that had occurred after his team had left with the submarine. When he finally regained awareness, he was in Sootopolis City, Matt watching over him with a worried look on his face.

"Bro… I don't even know what's gone down. This whole world... Kyogre. I think Shelly was right bro." The admin tried to explain.

"She was…?" Archie considered, remembering Shelly's words to him before he had embarked on their journey. She had had misgivings, been worried that awakening Kyogre would push things too far and that the power of the orbs was too much for one human to control. He had brushed her aside, and she'd said no more on the matter. But if she had been right…

"Matt. Where is Shelly now?" Archie asked. If Kyogre really had been as powerful as she'd feared… The thought sent a shiver down Archie's spine.

"I… I think it took her bro. Nobody's seen her since Kyogre awakened. But there's a group heading down to the Cave of Origin now, to try and stop it using Primal Reversion. That tough little trainer went, and that Champion dude… Even Team Magma are helping out. It's shaping up to be a serious tussle." Matt filled in.

"Then we're going. If there's any chance that Kyogre took Shelly with it… We've gotta protect our crew Matt." Archie decided. "So show me where they went. We've gotta move out."

The mood outside the Cave of Origin was tense. The child trainer prepared to enter, armed with the Red Orb, under a backdrop of driving rain. Archie managed to stop them just before they embarked on their quest, and after that they could only wait.

After what felt like an eternity, the child returned, running out of the cave with a panicked expression.

"I weakened it!" They informed. "But to defeat it completely… I just couldn't!"

"Why not?" Maxie asked, stepping forwards. "Surely your power is sufficient, if you were able to weaken it?"

"Why not?" A voice rang out, emerging from the cave. Archie knew that voice. "That would be… Me."

"Shelly!" Archie recognised.

"If you want to get through to Kyogre… You'll have to go through this girl." Shelly spoke, her voice sounding so familiar and yet so different to before. As she stepped fully into the dim light that filtered through the storm, it became clear that she was twisted beyond recognition.

Curved fins had grown from her back and she appeared to now have a tail, the webbed parts trailing onto the ground behind her. Lines across her body pulsed light blue with power, and when Archie looked into her eyes he could see none of the intelligence and warmth he had always known- they were completely yellow and soulless.

"Shelly! What happened?" Tabitha asked, seemingly trying to get through to her despite her current state.

"That girl can no longer hear you. This body is nothing more than a vessel now. Observe, how easily flesh submits to the will of one such as I." The voice spoke, the force controlling Shelly looking wholly at Archie before speaking again. "What would you do against it?"

"If we have no other choice… Destroying your vessel to get to you, Kyogre, would nether-the-less save many thousands of lives. I for one will not hesitate." Maxie spoke plainly, not flinching at the apparent use of a human shield.

"Have it your way." Kyogre smirked, the Pokémon itself bursting from the water not a second later, the rain intensifying as its gigantic form regarded the humans below.

"Wait, Max." Archie pleaded, continuing to stare at his controlled admin. This isn't how it was supposed to be. And if there was really no other way…

"Kid. You said you weakened it, right?" He continued, turning towards the young trainer.

"Yes." The trainer confirmed. "But right now, I don't see what good that is…"

"I'll take it from here then." Archie decided.

"You'll what?" Maxie demanded, clearly entirely shocked.

"I'll clean this mess up. Us adults have gotta take the responsibility for this, right?" Archie reasoned. "Just… Make sure my team's alright after this."

"Bro? What's with all this talk?" Matt spoke up, seemingly still unsure of how to react to the situation.

"It's like I said before Matt. We can't leave any of the crew behind." Archie responded, turning back towards Kyogre. "You hear that? I ain't leaving a single one of them behind! Not one!"

"If you want this vessel back so badly, you're going to have to fight for it." Kyogre replied.

"Oh, I'll do more than that!" Archie promised, throwing his Pokémon aside. He didn't need them for this. "You and me…" He continued, charging towards Kyogre. "You're gonna be stuck with me. And then, I'll be taking you back to the bottom of the sea where you belong!"

"What?" Kyogre retorted, seemingly surprised at Archie's audacity.

"I'll take it from here Shelly." Archie spoke comfortingly, gripping his admin's hands and trying to force the orb from her body. "You hear that, you big beastie? I'll be your vessel now! And you ain't gonna control me like this!"

"How could you hope to resist?" Kyogre asked.

"I don't need to. I just need to make it so you can't use me." Archie explained, looking back towards the young trainer who had done so much to help them. "Hey little scamp! Get ready to fight!"

"Bro, what?" Matt tried to argue. "You can't…!"

"Don't worry. I won't be shielding Kyogre." Archie promised, finally managing to get his hands back on the Blue Orb. Before it could take his control away, he threw himself into the sea.

He would take the possession on, and he would make sure that everyone else was saved. But he would place himself deep within the ocean, where Kyogre couldn't use him as leverage against anyone else.

He would never know whether they had succeeded in defeating Kyogre, but that didn't matter. He had saved his crew. That was what mattered.

As the clouds finally dispersed and the rain stopped, Shelly awoke, unable to recall what had happened, but with a heavy heart regardless.


	60. When the First Love Ends (Tabitha/Maxie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OR universe. Despite knowing what was going to happen, he'd held off on speaking the truth for as long as he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- When the First Love Ends  
> Characters- Tabitha and Maxie. Courtney is mentioned  
> Interactions- Tabitha/Maxie (also Courtney -> Maxie mentioned in passing)  
> Warnings- None
> 
> I've had this one saved up for a while but never posted it.  
> Things got very very busy on my placement and I ended up working more or less non stop for months. No time off, weekends spent catching up with uni work... It's only now i've finally gotten any time to write again.  
> That said, kick off the summer! ...With a story that's undoubtedly a tragedy.

He'd always known the final day would come, when they had to part ways for the last time. He'd prepared for it, thought endlessly over what he would say and how he would face it.

But he hadn't expected such feelings to come to the surface, right at the last moment.

Winter had come to the town they were travelling through, the first flakes of snow falling as a cold breeze drifted through. Tabitha didn't mind the cold, although this particular winter reminded him of just how much time had passed since they had gone on the run.

How many months ago had they split from Courtney, the girl taking her own path to create a diversion?

Tabitha missed her. They'd been friends for almost their entire lives. But it was for the best.

They did what they did out of loyalty, and more besides. He knew she wouldn't have had it any other way. Even if she had been captured, she had done her duty, and that was what mattered.

He knew that she had loved their leader deeply. Perhaps, her feelings could even rival his own. Maxie had never noticed a thing, not even after they had run away from it all, sticking together against the odds, the bonds between them only growing. Maxie probably would never know now. Tabitha didn't feel like he could tell him, especially after everything they'd been through.

It would just complicate things further.

Around him, people were already setting out Christmas decorations. Tabitha walked onwards. He had to stay with Maxie, no matter what.

The majority of other people walking around the town seemed to be couples, enjoying the festive atmosphere. Others were likely heading towards the train station to pick up relatives and loved ones; Tabitha was meeting Maxie so the two of them could leave this town behind.

Looking up to the snow filled sky, Tabitha wished for a second that things could be different; for another world, one where Courtney had never had to leave and Maxie understood how he really felt. One in which they would all celebrate the festive season, together.

He sighed. Such dreams were for fools and children. Their own experiences had taught them the consequences of foolish wishes.

The climb up the hill to the station was a short one, but it took Tabitha longer than he would have liked. Every few steps, something else reminded him of everything he'd once had, and everything that had been taken away from them.

It was a relief then, to finally find Maxie on the station platform, the one constant in his life that hadn't vanished.

"Tabitha." He greeted, as calm as ever. "You're slightly late."

"Sorry," the younger man answered, looking towards the floor. "I was… Well, 'held up' would be an accurate description."

It wasn't very much like him to arrive late, even if he had gotten lost in thought. He expected Maxie to pick up on that, and inquire further. He didn't, and Tabitha didn't know whether to be thankful or not.

"You brought something with you?" Maxie did think to ask, looking towards a bag Tabitha was holding.

"Right. It's a scarf, actually." Tabitha explained. "I thought you would need it, considering how cold it's getting."

Maxie had always hated the cold.

"I see. That's very thoughtful of you. Thank you." Maxie spoke, seeming to turn just slightly red. He allowed Tabitha to wrap the scarf around his neck and shoulders, and the two men stood in silence after that.

With a few minutes to go until the next train arrived, Tabitha glanced around the platform, and noticed several groups of people were looking at them suspiciously. Perhaps they were being recognised; it had happened before, leaving them to make a hasty retreat in every instance. It was why they never stayed in one place. It was how they'd lost Courtney.

Tabitha felt sadness for everything that had occurred, but he knew he'd do it all again if given the choice. And Courtney, wherever she was, would have felt the same. But Maxie…

He still felt as if Maxie didn't realise this.

Tabitha stepped forwards slightly, then turned around to face Maxie. He had to make sure he understood. Before anything else happened.

"Leader Maxie," he started. "Forgive me, but I have to speak to you."

"What on earth would have you so serious?" Maxie questioned, facing his admin fully.

"Well, a lot has happened. After… All our mistakes. We lost Courtney. We lost our home. We lost everything. Courtney and I… We stayed with you, despite it all." Tabitha tried to continue, getting cut off as Maxie looked towards him in anger.

"Let me guess. You want to give up?" He assumed, appearing betrayed but not completely surprised.

"That's not it at all!" Tabitha insisted. "Don't put words in my mouth! What I meant to say, is that if we could do it all again, I know for a fact that we would do it all again, me and Courtney both! Leader Maxie… I don't think you've considered for a second how much you really mean to us!"

"I know all about your loyalty Tabitha. I was wrong to question it. I'm sorry." Maxie backed down. Tabitha continued.

"It's not loyalty Maxie. It's so much more than that."

"Of course. We have been friends for years. In many ways, this devotion is exactly what I would expect of you." Maxie reasoned, still seeming to miss the point completely.

"Damnit Maxie!" Tabitha felt like screaming. He'd certainly spoken much louder than he'd intended. He'd gone to all the effort of trying to make his feelings known, and Maxie was still being an oblivious idiot. "She loved you! I love you! And I have no idea how you could have gone so long without seeing…"

He was cut off as he was suddenly swept off his feet and pulled into a kiss. He stood for several seconds, too shocked to take any action, before pulling Maxie into his arms. It was confusing. It was probably not the right time. But it was perfect.

But the train was approaching the station, and he knew it couldn't last forever. As he pulled away from Maxie he kept hold of his hand, turning towards the platform as the train pulled up.

But at the other end of the station, he heard raised voices, and he followed the sound to see the police were approaching them.

They'd run out of time.

"Maxie… Run. I'll create a diversion." He stated.

"Tabitha…" Maxie's eyes were suddenly soft, and he moved reluctantly, even as Tabitha released his hand and stepped backwards. "Okay." The older man finally agreed, turning to run.

"If you want to get to Leader Maxie…" Tabitha stated, turning towards the assembled police and getting out his Pokémon ready to fight. "First you'll have to go through me." He glared them down with the full ferocity of blood red eyes as the fight began.

Even though he knew they'd capture him eventually, he still fought on. Maxie would escape. He would fulfil his duty, just as Courtney had done before him.

It was all so the man they loved could continue to smile.


	61. This is the Happiness and Peace of Mind Committee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone would be happy. After all, they would make the world perfect again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- This is the Happiness and Peace of Mind Committee  
> Characters-Team Flare, Team Magma and Aqua, the Hoenn Elite 4, Champions, and Gym Leaders (at least in cameo)  
> Interactions- Slight implied Steven/Wallace   
> Warnings- Pretty much everyone dies
> 
> This is one of those songs that seems nice until you see the translation for the lyrics...  
> Shiroko Diamond Sparkle's done a good English cover of this, and TamashiineKasuka a German cover

The sun burned through the retreating clouds as the storm from before faded into a distant memory, and people all over Hoenn made their way into the streets curiously, finding a new group now walking among them. Malva glanced over to Lysandre and hummed in thought.

"Everyone down there… Certainly they'll be happier by now, right?" She voiced.

"I'd have thought so." Her boss responded. "Especially after the trouble we've gone to for their sake."

"Right. We've been working so hard to fix this world. They should at least understand that." Malva added.

In towns and cities throughout Hoenn, the garishly dressed newcomers gathered the people together, issuing a proclamation of their own.

"We're in charge now."

"It's quite simple. All they need to do now is submit to our authority and live their lives exactly as we tell them to. If they can only fulfil their duty, we can save this world and keep it in this beautiful state forever. It can even be better than it ever was." Lysandre detailed. "Make sure everyone in Hoenn understands that."

"Of course. It's a small price to pay for a perfect world after all." Malva agreed, turning towards an Admin who had just entered. "You there! Tell the others to start with the next stage of the plan already!"

In Rustboro City, the members of the Trainer's School remained inside, Roxanne boarding the windows and switching the lights off while students hid under the desks. Nobody outside noticed them, but only a few streets away men in red suits started to search.

Gym Trainers in Dewford tried to mislead the garish women who came to their Gym. No, this wasn't a Pokémon Gym, it was for people. No, Brawly wasn't there. Yes, they were up for a fight. A few of the trainers gathered with the Gym Leader himself in the far back, prepared to repel the invaders.

Mauville's Gym had been entirely locked down, a series of complicated contraptions and puzzles barring entry to the rather simple fools who had come to attempt to take it over.

Fire Pokémon were already on guard in Lavaridge, using Flamethrower on anyone who attempted to get close. Flannery grit her teeth as the intruders sent out their own Pokémon and began fighting back; if she had to, she'd take them all down herself.

All doors were locked in Petalburg, everyone in the Gym sheltering at the back in the Leader's Room. Their assailants were pounding on the doors, but it would take them a long time to break them all.

Winonna had fled her Gym long before anyone came in search of her, leaping through the trees of Fortree with a natural grace. She was confident she could outrun her pursuers: they might be a determined and strong foe, but out here she had the home field advantage.

Tate and Lisa clung to each other, taking solace within the Space Centre along with most of Mossdeep's residents, who had taken the earlier decree with a great deal of scepticism. A few people glanced nervously towards one house at the edge of the island, but as usual nobody was home.

Wallace stood in front of the Cave of Origin, listening to the waterfalls crashing around him as petals fell from the large tree that grew behind him. He gripped the Pokenav in his hand with some force; he'd called the same familiar number over ten times, but there was no response.

Team Magma's base seemed deserted, the monitors situated within turned to the news. There wasn't a single person or Pokémon watching. Across the bay, Team Aqua's base stood in the same state of abandonment.

"Still… I wonder if they'll really accept it. It seems like the people of Hoenn don't follow orders easily." Malva commented bitterly.

"That's very true. They don't seem to want to change their way of life without a fight." Lysandre considered. "We'll just have to show them exactly what's on the line."

"I'm working on that." Malva confirmed, looking towards the camera that her grunts were setting up in the room they occupied. "I think we know exactly how to break their spirits."

A sudden noise cut through the peace of the room, and everyone turned to the Pokenav on the floor, which was ringing once more.

"Again?!" Malva exclaimed, walking over to the device and picking it up. "What a persistent little… Oh. Sootopolis's Gym Leader. Do you think someone's coming to save you?" She stared at the Pokenav for a second before looking over at a grunt. "You traced the call yet?"

"Yes ma'am!" The grunt replied.

"Good. Send it to the team in Sootopolis." Malva ordered, throwing the Pokenav to the ground.

"Face reality already, you runt!" She yelled as she crushed it under her heel.

"Malva. It's time we showed them what we did to their pretty boy Champion already." Lysandre announced.

"Okay then." Malva agreed, stepping back to face the camera as it was turned on.

"Alright, people of Hoenn, listen up! We of Team Flare are now in full control of your region! We've murdered your Champion and your Elite Four!"

She grabbed the camera in her own hands, panning it over so that the lifeless body of the former Champion could be seen, hair stained dark in the blood that had spread across the floor.

"If any one of you resist… Your Gym Leaders will die too. And if you still refuse to do as we ask… You'll just all have to die. Have a good day now." Malva signed off, smiling for the camera.

"If they have to die, that's just the price to be paid. We knew that not everyone would have a place in the new world." Lysandre commented.

In the rooms of the other members of the Hoenn Elite Four, grunts of Team Flare set about cleaning up the destruction that had occurred. Not a single one of them had stood down, each fighting to their last. When they had all inevitably succumbed to their collective wounds, it had left quite a mess, with the stages of the battles themselves unrecognisable scenes of torn apart metal, charred wood, and the stain of blood and tears, the bodies of the former trainers slumped against walls or splayed broken on the floors.

Panic had started to grip Lilycove City, as anyone who could made an attempt to run. The docks had already been closed off, and escape seemed unlikely.

The caves in the cove were still deserted, save for a few curious Pokémon who had begun to investigate. In Team Magma's base, a Taillow landed on the table in Maxie's room, staring at the light of the monitor as it reflected off of broken glasses.

Archie's Mightyena burst out of its Pokeball, sensing something was wrong, and forced its head under its master's hand, whining when it simply slid off. However much it tried to rouse Archie, he was unresponsive.

The Admins of both teams remained by the doors to their leaders' rooms, standing guard over them as they always had. And now, always would. There was only room for one Team in the Hoenn region now.

News came in soon enough of the Hoenn Gym Leaders' capture, and Lysandre smirked. Soon, all of Hoenn would fall under their control.

Then, it would be 'happy' forever more.


	62. Witch Hunt (Shelly/Matt)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rumours could be powerful things, especially when supported by powerful people. But where did rumour end and the truth begin?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Witch Hunt  
> Characters- Shelly, Matt, Archie and also Maxie, Courtney, and Tabitha  
> Interactions- Matt/Shelly, implied Archie/Matt (at least one sided)  
> Warnings- Attempted burning/execution
> 
> I haven't updated this in ages ^-^". I hadn't realised how much time had passed. I've been working on this one a while since it's a song I like a lot.
> 
> I tried to keep the ambiguity in the original present in this one so I hope that comes off well.

A crowd gathered in the town, excitement growing between the townsfolk as they made their way towards the square. They had been told that tonight would be another great event, and so they bustled through the streets, talking and laughing with each other, until they reached the large scaffold that had been erected in the centre of the town.

Tonight, a witch would be executed, and they would all be safer because of it.

Courtney stood staring at the scaffold, the crowd around her whipping themselves up into a frenzy. There had been a rumour about a witch in the town for years. Why had they decided to act now?

Rumour was that the lover of the young lord was a witch. Nobody had ever known where she'd come from; appearing as she did in the town all of a sudden some years before. People had talked about it for a long time, but previously had seemed unwilling to act, for she had fallen in love with the lord and he with her, and their joy had warmed the whole town.

Courtney watched as the young woman who was to be killed was led out to the scaffold. Shelly. They had been friends, speaking together of medicinal remedies and the plants that grew out in the forest. Courtney didn't know if there were really any truth in the rumours her friend was a witch. She didn't want to see her burn either way.

The gathered crowd grew violent, throwing stones at the 'witch' and demanding that she die. The town's priest entered the square, holy book clutched in his hand. Archie's face was grim, and his eyes appeared hard and dark. He seemed unwilling to show any mercy.

"People are getting a little bit frantic, it seems." Tabitha commented, appearing at Courtney's side. "There'll be no way to calm their fury now."

"Archie's jealous." Maxie added, making his way through the crowd to them.

"What of?" Tabitha asked him.

"Matt. He used to be the only person Matt really listened to. The one person who was closer to him than anyone. I don't think he likes having to share his attention." Maxie detailed.

"You think… He started all this?" Courtney asked.

"I think he convinced Matt to give her up." Maxie answered. "As for the rumours… They've always existed."

"People have been accusing Shelly of witchcraft for years." Tabitha agreed. "But nobody could do anything while Matt was protecting her. And he had always believed in her. But now… Now, he seems willing to send her to die himself."

It seemed to be true. Matt entered the scene, face entirely torn. He faced the scaffold in the middle of the square, appearing to be completely betrayed.

"Tell me. Is it true? Everything we had. Was it all just a lie?" He demanded of Shelly, anger swelling in his voice.

"No!" She shouted back at him, staring down from where she stood on the scaffolding.

"Lie…? It wasn't a lie!" Courtney argued, finding few allies among the crowd, whose anger only seemed to grow.

"Don't listen to her. This is all a part of the spell that witch has placed you under!" Archie spoke, walking towards Matt and patting his shoulder reassuringly. "We'll be free of it soon. Just you see."

The crowd's anger spilled over, and they broke into open shouting.

"That's despicable!" "How could she do this?" "Burn her! Burn the witch!"

"I see. So this is how he makes it happen." Maxie stated. "Archie knew the respect he had among the people. He knew all he had to do was break Matt's resistance. So he convinces him that he's been deceived. Once planted, a seed like that can only grow."

"But… How could Matt believe this?" Courtney asked.

"Something like this, coming from someone as respected as Archie… Someone who Matt has trusted as a friend for years… It's difficult to ignore I suppose. He can't just reject it out of hand." Maxie tried to explain.

"It seemed like love from where I was standing, but it hardly matters now." Tabitha added.

"No… He's lying! Can't you fools see this for what it is?" Shelly tried to object.

Matt stepped closer to her, climbing up the scaffolding until he was face to face with the woman he had once loved. The crowd held their breaths for a few tense moments, nobody sure of what was to happen. Matt stroked one hand across Shelly's cheek, deliberately slowly and with a fair amount of tenderness.

Then, he raised a knife in his other hand, and in an instant, the tension peaked.

Shelly's hair, which before had flowed down as far as her hips, flew into the air around them, and fell slowly to the ground. The black curls she was left with barely reached the end of her face.

"That's enough." Matt stated, face growing impassive. "Tie her up!"

"You're making a mistake!" Shelly cried, trying to struggle. "Don't do this!"

The crowd drowned her out, leaping onto the woman and tying her tightly to the scaffold. Matt returned to Archie's side as the flames were lit, fire licking at the wood at the base of the scaffold.

"I can't watch…" Courtney told her friends, turning her back on the scene.

"Now sinner…" Archie began to dictate, holding his hands out before the burning scaffold. "Repent, and let the evil spirits within you depart this world. Be purified in the holy flames!"

The crowd cheered at the priest's words, frenzy having fully taken them over. Shelly glanced around the gathered townspeople, feeling the weight of their betrayal. She had never done a single thing to hurt them, and yet they treated her like this.

She screamed and looked upwards to the sky as dusk faded into night. The flames climbing the scaffold began to wrap around her legs.

At that moment, the square shook with a rippling shockwave. Courtney turned around to see that Shelly had grown coal black wings which were beating the air around them down into the ground with force. Tears rolled down the face of the tied woman before she closed her eyes entirely. The ropes binding her broke, and she took the opportunity, jumping to the top of the scaffold before using the foothold to leap free of the square completely, taking off into the night on wings of ebony.

Much like her hair had before, feathers started to fall slowly to the ground of the square. The townspeople stood in stunned silence as the fire on the scaffolding took hold, the entire construction bursting into flames. Courtney looked up and caught a single jet-black feather.

She looked towards the edge of the square to see Matt holding the same exact thing, staring wistfully into the night sky.


	63. Blackjack (Shelly)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Games could turn on a dime. In the end, she'd played, and she'd lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Blackjack  
> Characters- Primarily Shelly, Tabitha, and Courtney. Maxie and Archie are mentioned.  
> Interactions- Implied Shelly/Tabitha and Shelly/Courtney  
> Warnings- None
> 
> It took me so long to come up with an idea for this song. The only thoughts I had on it at all were that it sounded like a break-up song if anything. So i'm glad to finally be able to get something out for this.

Card games were as much a match of hearts as they were a match of wits.

Every play an opponent made, the considerations that went into each move, each twitch of body language that gave vital clues away.

These things were insights into the minds of a game’s opponents; showing how they thought, what they valued, and where their priorities lay.

As far as Shelly was concerned, cards was no different to love. Each was a game with a prize to be won. And she knew all too well how to play.

Recently, Team Magma had been acting as nothing but a thorn in their side. It was such a shame; a few members of their group were honestly rather cute. Archie was clearly annoyed and wanted the team’s activities disrupted. All the pieces seemed to be in place, and Shelly didn’t mind playing a little if it got everyone what they wanted.

Out of everyone in Team Magma, Tabitha was the one she had the most history with. He was a known quantity, somebody who she had matched intellects with before, and she settled back into conversation with him as easily as slipping on old comfortable shoes. He’d been surprised at first that she was even willing to still talk to him, but time caused that concerned scowl to soften, and when she finally saw the light reach those striking red eyes as he laughed, she knew he’d fallen for her.

Courtney was far more of an unknown. Shelly knew nothing about her, and her actions and feelings were difficult to predict. But underneath her sometimes cold and inscrutable exterior, Shelly quickly learned that there was a burning curiosity that she was all too willing to satisfy. They grew closer slowly but surely, as she worked her way into the other woman’s heart.

In time, both of them gained special places in Shelly’s heart. She grew to love them as much as they clearly loved her. It was only a bonus if their love distracted the pair enough to slow their team’s progress.

Then they found out about each other, and things got even more interesting. Shelly had worried that they would hold it against her, despite making no claims to exclusivity. Instead, they turned on each other, driving a wedge through the centre of their team and threatening to bring their entire operation crashing down. They remained as close with Shelly as always, and it seemed as though nothing could stand between Team Aqua and their goal now. If this was winning, it definitely felt good.

Right when it seemed things couldn’t get any better, suddenly it all got worse.

There was one major factor Shelly had overlooked, and it was to bring about her downfall. In the midst of her game, she had fallen as hard as any of the players, and overlooked the most important factor in the running of Team Magma.

Just as she was loyal beyond compare to Archie, so would every member of Team Magma heed any and all words Maxie gave to them.

That one man, her spanner in the works, unravelled her near perfect victory. His admins responded instantly to his call to action, abandoning their feud and aligning themselves to their cause once more. Their efforts renewed, soon it was as though they had never been distracted, and they toiled away with a greater ferocity than Shelly had ever seen from them before.

Clearly, she had become too proud of herself, too sure of her place in their lives. It was clear now, as it always should have been, that Maxie was the one who held the most sway over the hearts and minds of the two Magma Admins.

Soon, Shelly found herself unable to secure even a moment for herself with the pair, as they focused on their work single-mindedly. The rejection stung, as she tried to re-evaluate her situation, find some other angle to work from. But regardless of anything that happened or whatever Shelly tried, it seemed as though her love had been squeezed out in favour of an impenetrable work ethic.

She should have been able to anticipate this; she’d known Tabitha at least well enough in the past to know all about this side of him. But she’d allowed herself to believe that she of all people was immune to being side-lined in such a manner. And she’d allowed herself to love far too deeply, leaving a wound that lingered despite her efforts.

She’d pushed too far, too fast, overstepped the safety zone without a thought. She’d risked it all and gone all-in, and now, at the end of the play, she’d lost. Lost more than she’d ever wished to stake. Now she was alone, having exhausted every avenue. And she could do nothing but wallow in the misery she had created for herself with her own actions.

Shelly had always thought she’d been as good at playing with love as she was with playing at cards. But it was impossible for everyone to win every game they played. And arrogance was often the factor that most determined the outcome of any game, regardless of the skill of the players.

She had overstepped her bounds, and Maxie had been the player to step in and capitalise as she fell. In the end, Shelly was left alone, left unable to do anything but rue the mistake she had made.


End file.
